Metamorphosis
by Gramm485
Summary: A story of beginnings, a story of change. A story of how one creature crawled along the ground, then rose and spread her wings first through survival, then passion. This is the story of Ada Wong.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**July 21st, 1992**

**Beijing, China**

**11:23am**

A taxi cab made its way through the busy streets of Beijing, heading deeper and deeper into the massive city. After many streets and intersections, and the many pauses in traffic it made, it stopped in front of a towering skyscraper. The passenger exited the cab, a thin, young woman of 19 years with shoulder length raven black hair tied loosely in a ponytail. She paid the driver her fare from a skimpy wallet, then cinched a small backpack up on her shoulders.

She stood before the building at the edge of the busy sidewalk, butterflies flitting about in her stomach as she looked up with tired, jet lagged eyes. It had been so long since she had seen him last...and here she was, coming out of the blue, asking for help no less. What was he going to say? It was going to be awkward...very awkward, that was for sure. She almost didn't want to be there, but it was her very last hope. And besides, there was no going back now. What little she had left was with her at the moment: jeans, red tank top, a small, second hand backpack with some spare accessories, and barely 300 yuan. Most of her cash went with the cab and the flight.

She hooked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and stepped forward with the intent of leaving her nerves behind, promptly bumping into a pedestrian passing by her. Her face flushed red, and she let out a string of apologies in nervous Mandarin with a heavy Western accent. The older man assured her that it was no problem, and smiled at the pretty young woman before going on his way.

The woman made her way through the people, being careful not to collide with anyone else, and entered the doors to the skyscraper. The lobby was sprawling, well lit, and full of people going about their business. It was one of the largest financial businesses in China, and one of the biggest in the world. It almost rivaled Umbrella, which had dominated just about everything for as long as she could remember. Just being inside of it and what it represented made her nervous.

She navigated her way through the lobby and past the first floor bank until she found the reception area. Swallowing her nerves deeper inside of her, she approached the first open receptionist, and middle aged woman who was just hanging up the phone.

"Um, hello," she said in Mandarin, "I'm here to see someone."

The receptionist at the desk smiled politely enough, but the woman saw that she looked at her young, average self amidst the professionals with an air of contempt. "Very well. Who is it you would like to see, and when is your appointment?"

"Um..." she replied, hooking another strand behind her ear nervously. "I don't exactly have an appointment."

The woman's smile turned into an irritated frown. "But all meetings must be planned in advance. I cannot let you see anyone unless you are scheduled." The receptionist's frown remained, but nonetheless, she continued to do her job. "Perhaps I could arrange an appointment for you now?"

"I...it's sort of important. I need to see Lei Wong."

The receptionist consulted a computer after a few seconds of typing. "Mr. Wong is very busy. I'm afraid his next available time for a meeting is two weeks from now, on Tuesday the-"

"Look," the woman interrupted. "Can you...can you call him, or his secretary....and tell him something for me?"

The receptionist sighed tiredly at the woman and the line forming behind her. "What shall I tell him?"

The woman leaned forward, then almost whispered to her. "Tell him his daughter needs his help. His daughter Ada."

* * *

15 minutes later, escorted by a single security guard, the woman, Ada, found herself on the 61st floor, one of the executive levels, and the floor of her father's office. The guard escorted her to the big double doors with the name Lei Wong printed on it in gold letters. She barely had enough time to gather herself before he opened the door and ushered her in.

He stood behind his desk in a spacious office, overlooking the city through a wall of glass. She almost didn't recognize his powerful figure, but instantly remembered that air of dominance around him. He was tall for a man of his race, with hair and eyes the exact same color as hers. Even more intimidating was the flawless linen suit that he wore, completely black in color.

Behind her, the guard closed the door. It was just the two of them, alone. For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence between. They seemed to stretch to minutes in her mind. But she worked up the strength and cleared her throat.

"Hi, Dad," she said softly.

"Hello, Ada," he replied formally, as if she had just introduced herself. It had been so long, they may as well have introduced each other.

There was another uneasy gap between them. Ada thought she had developed a plan to present herself, but it had all vanished upon seeing her father again. He seemed equally taken aback, though he didn't appear to be as nervous as her. Quite the opposite, in fact. She wished she could be the same way, to hide her uncertainty. Better yet, to do away with it, to always be in control of herself.

"I was unaware that you spoke Mandarin," her father said casually, almost conversationally. "I didn't know that you learned it."

"Mom wanted me to," she replied, with a sudden twitch of her brow. "For when I talked to you."

Silence.

"Would you care to explain why you suddenly appear in my building today with no warning whatsoever?"

Ada shifted her head down to look at the toes of her worn sneakers. The reason had been haunting her for 2 weeks, ever since she left America. It was why she'd gotten less and less sleep, and the little she did get often ended with her crying herself to sleep. She prayed to God that she wouldn't break down in front of him.

"Mom...passed away...about two weeks ago."

Pause. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said in a tone that clearly meant the opposite.

At that moment, Ada's face screwed up. The memory of the sudden death of her mother almost drove her to tears. But she held herself, and her features relaxed. It was going to be hard, but she could overcome it. The only thing that manifested was a hard sniff from her nose as she looked back to her father with determination.

"She never hated you. She...understood how you felt, which is why she never asked for anything after the divorce. She just wanted everyone to be happy."

Wong looked away briefly, but his expression stayed neutral. "I don't suppose you are here to make amends. You still haven't answered my question, Ada. Why are you here?"

"I..."she started, then faltered. She gave her head a brief shake. "I need your help," she finished shakily.

Wong smirked and gave a small, airy chuckle. "I see what this is about," he said, almost triumphantly as he made his way around his desk, then leaned on the front of it. "You want money."

"No!" she exclaimed, taking a few steps forward, "It's not like that!"

But sugarcoat it as she might try, that's what it boiled down to: money. Life had very cruelly backed her into a corner. Her father already suspected that, and he didn't seem to care. In fact, he almost seemed anxious.

"Then what is it about?" he asked.

"It's...well, you're right," she admitted in defeat. "I need money. But I'm not asking you for a free ride! It's just that...things came up and-"

"Has it occurred to you to get a job, rather than asking me for a handout?" her father interrupted. "I haven't seen you in over a decade, let alone talked to you over the phone."

"I tried!" Once again, she was on the verge of tears, though now it was fear, building on the previous sorrow. "I'm almost destitute. I was evicted three days ago. The last of my college fund went into the bills and the apartment. No one will hire someone without an education. I barely had enough to get a cheap flight here!" Her eyes widen, shimmering around the corners. "Dad, I don't even have a place to sleep anymore!"

"And so to dig yourself out of the hole you and your mother had been so happily making for yourselves, you come to me as a last resort," her father said coldly. "Not before, when the signs were all around. Rather than do something productive with what you had, you wasted it all to come here in person. You know, I'm not surprised. Elena never really was the one to think ahead. I should have thought about that before I married her."

"How can you say that about her?!" Ada cried, aghast. "Was she just an inconvenience to you? Didn't you love her at all?"

"Tell me," he said dryly, almost as if he was acting interested to humor her. "How did she die? Did she get the heroic death she wanted as a police officer, doing what she thought was right?"

Ada sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "No. I don't know how she died. No one does. One morning, I just woke up and...and...she was gone."

She never did learn what killed Elena Wong. It baffled the doctors how a seemingly healthy woman suddenly died in her sleep. Some suspected a sudden heart attack, while others theorized some illness that was hidden from the daughter. Ada, already being low on cash, had to settle for never knowing, unable to afford the tests. All that was left to do was to give her mother a quiet, inexpensive funeral.

"Dad..." Ada said softly, pressing her hands over her eyes, trying to regain her composure from the world as it spiraled out of her control. When she lowered them, they still sparkled with water. "Please...I'm coming to as your daughter, as your own flesh and blood. I've never hated you, I've never held anything against you. You made Mom happy, and for that, I love you." She took a few steps forward, closer to him. "_Please..._I'm scared, and I don't know what to do..."

Wong pushed himself off of his desk, then closed the distance between them. His face had finally broken neutrality, though it hadn't softened, as she had hoped. It almost grew colder. He leaned in slightly, looking his daughter in the eye, who apprehensively leaned back.

"Do you think that you are the only one with problems, Ada? Do you think it would be easy for me to just hand you money, as if I came by it easily?" He suddenly gripped her wrist in an iron hold. She gasped, then quivering, shook her head. "Do you think that you are alone in your struggle for life, and that I have no problems myself? Every day, Umbrella threatens to consume my company. But I don't run crying for pity from others!" He almost snapped the last words in her face, jerking her wrist a little harder. He leaned in even closer. "Did I ever tell you, Ada, that I never wanted children?"

A strangled gasp cut short in her throat. Ada felt as if she had stopped breathing, yet her heart still pounded hard from her emotions. Not even he could say something like that, no one could be that cruel! No, he couldn't say it...if he did, she wouldn't be able to hold it in anymore.

"I never wanted a little girl. I never wanted a daughter. And I certainly never wanted that daughter to haul her pathetic self halfway around the world to beg me to bail her out when life dealt her a bad hand. You, my _dear_ daughter, were a mistake."

With that, he released her wrist with a fling of his hand. The tears started to flow, bursting free from the dam that had been holding them back for so long. Like rivers, they fell down her cheeks and collected on her chin, where they fell, only to be replaced by more. Ada let out a choking sob, then another before breaking down entirely.

"You were just a mistake in my life, one small mistake," her father continued. "But unlike my real life problems, you're not one that I have to deal with."

The next thing she knew, her palm struck him across his face in an ear ringing slap that turned his head. In that one instant, rage broke through her features, her lip curled into a snarl. He jerked, putting a hand to the offended spot, then turned and struck her in retaliation with the back of his hand. Ada cried out and tumbled to the expensive carpet as the side of her face blossomed in pain. She know she should feel anger, but all of it was drowning in the sea of her hopelessness. She'd been abandoned by everyone.

She heard her father's voice, further away, from behind his desk speaking sternly into an intercom. "Call security. Have them escort this woman out."

Feeling beaten and worthless, she lay sobbing, huddled at the foot of her father's desk until hands gripped her arms and hauled her to her feet. Two guards had entered, and now began to literally drag her towards the door. She wanted to fight, to break free and attack her father, but nothing could free her from the grip of incapacitating sorrow. To the guards, she was nothing more than a limp rag doll that hung its head and cried, dragging her feet behind them.

"Make sure she is removed from the building," her father said as he sat down behind his desk to resume work, "and make extra sure she does not return."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**July 21st, 1992**

**Beijing, China**

**9:53pm**

_Worthless...I'm so worthless...I couldn't even stand up to my own father._

Ada kept her head buried in her arms, shutting out the dingy bar she sat at. The tip of her nose touched the pool of tears on the worn surface of the wood. How many times had she cried that day? She'd lost count after that morning. The day just seemed to stretch on and on, as if it didn't want her to leave the horrible events behind. In reality, she knew that that was the case; the days events would haunt her forever. Or at least until the day she died, and with how she was going to be living, that might be very soon.

At least she granted herself the mercy of bidding farewell to her former life with a drink. Not the smartest thing to do with the little cash she had, and she didn't even like alcohol that much, but it almost seemed to be a necessary evil. She'd picked the first tavern she found, and as far as she could get from the skyscraper that was her father's domain. On the way, she had plenty of time to see what lay in store for her. Slums and cold alleys, hunger, violence, and pain.

She was barely a woman...how was she supposed to survive in such a world? The image of the prostitute that she saw being beaten on her way there flashed through her mind. Is that what was going to happen to her? She'd sell her body for sex, just to survive, then what? More tears squeezed out. She didn't want that to happen; she didn't do anything to deserve it. Just like her mother hadn't deserved to die.

_Why did you have to go, Mom? You said that you and me would be fine._

And fine their life had been. A little tough, but together, they had gotten through some pretty hard times. An overworked police officer, her mother had provided a source of income, while Ada helped as much as she could around their small apartment. Through many years of saving, she was able to attend college, where she worked as hard as she could. She had all the makings of a promising student: natural intelligence, athletics, and the good looks to go with it. And just like that, it had all been stripped away that one morning.

It was another vision Ada couldn't shake from her mind...

* * *

She'd woken up after a restful night's sleep, comfortable in her bed, just like she usually did. It was always so peaceful, living with her mother, cozy with just the two of them. After her shower, she noticed that her mother wasn't up yet. Hardly unnatural, as she tended to have a lazy streak every once in a while. But as Ada slipped her shoes on, with still no sign of her mother up and about, she decided to give her a rude awakening, lovingly, of course.

At first,when the gentle shakes didn't wake her, concern crossed the young woman's features. She shook harder, then harder, then began to call her name. But her mother didn't respond to anything, only laying there peaceful, as if she still slept, her long silky dark hair splayed across the white pillow. It had to have been a joke, some prank to play on her daughter for not doing something or other! Elena Wong should have stopped when Ada began to cry, but she didn't, she couldn't.

In a panic, Ada stumbled off the bed, gripping her hair. What should she do?! She had to do something, but she seemed frozen. It was horrible, as if she was caught in some kind of unseen web that was preventing any chance of helping her mother. But eventually, she broke free from herself and ran to the phone, dialing the emergency line.

They calmly tried to instruct her what to do while help arrived, to try and get her wake up. But nothing she did was enough, nor were the paramedics able to do anything. They sped her to the hospital, Ada in the back of the ambulance, attached to her mother by the hand. The doctors couldn't wake her when they arrived at the hospital, and she was pronounced dead shortly after. Just like that, she was gone.

For what seemed like the longest time, she could do nothing but stare at the body. The doctors said she could take as much time as she wanted, and left her alone with her mother, rather, what was now her mother, a motionless body under a white sheet, save for her head. Ada sat on a small stool, unable to take her eyes away from her mother's peaceful face.

Her mother had always been gorgeous. There was rarely a time when Ada saw her when she wasn't at her best. Long, midnight black hair, and piercing green eyes, like emeralds. She'd passed some of that green fire onto Ada, though hers were a only a muddy hazel. Everything about her mother seemed so perfect, so woman-like, yet she was so strong, always putting her life on the line for others as a police officer.

Now those green eyes forever hid their beauty under closed eyelids. The thought of that alone made her blink back tears, but knowing that her mother was gone unleashed them without reserve.

* * *

...just another horror to add the exponentially growing pile. First Mom's passing, then Dad disowning her and casting her off like an insect. The pain from his strike on the side of her face had faded earlier in the afternoon, but not disappeared. Instead, it moved to her already wounded heart, ripping it open even further.

_Why did you have to go, Mom?_ Ada asked it again and again. _Was it me? Was it Dad? _She'd probably never know. Mom was dead, and dead people didn't talk. Her dad didn't know, and even if he did, he wouldn't tell her. She was just a stranger to him.

Ada lifted her head from her arms, then wiped her face on her arm, sniffing hard. She couldn't see them, but she knew her eyes were probably near bloodshot. Her rum and coke lay in its melting ice, doing its own crying as condensation flowed down the dirty glass. She picked it up, then drained the rest of it in one go, half hoping that it would be enough to console her in some way. Once the burning liquid disappeared down her throat, she checked her watch. It was already well into the evening. What was she supposed to do now?

_I guess I better find a doorway or an alley to curl up in until tomorrow._

The hunger pangs were already kicking in. The cheap meal and airline food she had earlier had gone right through her. She was by no means accustomed to hearty meals, but rather, used to healthier things that would sustain her. How long would it take for her skinny, yet well defined track runner's body to waste away?

She morosely slid off the barstool and began to trudge to the door. It was breezy outside, not cold, but it would be uncomfortable. She hoped the light windbreaker in her pack would be enough to hold her over until she could scavenge something heavier.

Her head was still hanging low, so low she didn't even see the man she bumped into until it actually happened. She mumbled a quick apology before moving around him, but not before he suddenly grabbed her arm, forcing a gasp from her lips.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, grinning widely. "How's it going?"

Ada's eyes widened. The guy looked like a punk or a gang member. He wore tattered clothes that seemed to be shredded on purpose, as if they were a uniform. His black hair was spiked with liberal amounts of gel, and both of his ears were studded with over half a dozen earrings. Very stereotypical, like something she saw out of a movie, but even more terrifying in real life.

Completely taken by surprise, her speech became stammered, first speaking in English before remembering where she was and shakily going back into Mandarin. "Please, l-let me..let me go." All the while, she tried to pull away from him, but was halted by his grip.

"Let a pretty thing like you go in a place like this?" he mocked with a voice that reeked of smoke. "But you might get hurt! Why don't you let me take care of you?"

_Oh God, please, not already!_

She ordered herself to act, to do something, anything, that wouldn't allow this punk to molest her. Mom had taught her all sorts of things: how to fight, how to defend herself, how to shoot a gun. But all of that was lost in her panicked mind. All Ada could do was stare with helpless, red eyes and a quivering lip, uttering out barely intelligible pleas. Her body had locked up again, caught up in the tidal wave of panic that crushed over her. Just like when she found her mother's body, only this time, it was her life that was going to be affected.

-_nonononoplease-_

He tried to grab her around the waist, but she resisted, pulling away further. Who was going to help her in that seedy dump? The drunk at the end of the booth? The bartender, who had mysteriously vanished? She didn't want to get raped, she didn't want to be helpless-

-and in that second, something clicked. At first, she felt as if she just stopped fighting, but it was something else, something far different from acceptance. Ada felt the locks on her body release, and she just acted on instinct. In a set of simple, but still frantic moves, she rolled her wrist, popping it free from the thug's grip, then drove it forward, chopping him in the throat. As he recoiled, gagging, she shoved her other palm forward, striking him dead on the nose. He fell back with a grunt and hit the floor, out cold.

The next instant, she was running, out of the bar and into the night. She ran and ran, block after block, until her body screamed for her to stop. When it didn't, she tripped and fell to the ground, ripping a hole in her jeans. Ignoring the pain in her limbs, she crawled into an alley, huddling behind a dumpster and hugging her knees to her chest. Her mind had gone back into a frenzy, fear of being chased and run down overwhelming her. All she could think to do was hide and become as small as possible.

In a minute, the heave of her chest ceased, but the cold sweat remained on her skin from the encounter.

_Did that just happen? Or have I been sitting here the whole time, dreaming?_

She looked at the hole in her jeans, and the trickle of blood flowing down her knee and into the fabric. That hadn't been there that morning, when she was at her father's. The butt of her left palm stung, as if she'd just hit something, hard. So it must have been real. Where she mustered that little surge, she didn't know. Had that even been her? Now that time allowed her to think, her hand hurt a _lot._

It was still a bad neighborhood, and being outside alone wasn't the best option for her. But she didn't want to leave the little nook she found. So instead, Ada compromised; if no one bothered her, she would stay. If someone came, she would run as fast as she could until she was safe. But it was no way to live.

_What am I supposed to do with my life? Mom, help me..._

She didn't have to hear her mother's answer to know what she would have said. Elena Wong would want her child to be happy, to live on and enjoy life. But there was nothing left to be happy about when the last family she had cast her away. Living would be hard, full of danger and pain, and she most certainly would not enjoy it. It looked like she couldn't giver her mother that satisfaction. All that was left was survival. Yes...Ada could promise her mother that she would survive.

At the moment, that was all she could promise.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**September 24th, 1992**

**Beijing, China**

**1:25pm**

The constant growl of her stomach was one of the most maddening things she'd ever felt. It took every bit of Ada's thinking to avoid starving. So far, she'd been scraping along with petty theft, swiping things here and there, sometimes pawning objects for cash. It was just enough to get her two small meals a day. More often than not, she found herself filling up on water from public drinking fountains, just to try and quell the rumble of her gut. She was beginning to show signs of weight loss, not a good thing, already being slightly thin from the start. But at least she hadn't sunk to rummaging through trash...yet.

The nights were getting little better, since she was growing accustomed to less sleep and found warmer clothes. She still had her red tank top, though it was stuffed into her pack, which rarely left her shoulders. The only time it was off was when she used it as a pillow in whatever alley she camped out for the night. Her new top was a very worn sweatshirt she'd picked up in a thrift store, and beneath that, a thick t-shirt. Along with her scuffed, patched jeans, she was well on her way to looking like a drifter. Her shoulder length hair had gotten longer, becoming greasy in the process from the lack of hygiene, and her fingernails were worn and chipped. Every part of her normally average self was sinking into ruin.

At the moment, Ada found herself hovering around an outdoor cafe, hoping for a lazy woman to take her eyes off a purse, or a man to lay his wallet down on a table. It was a horrible thing, stealing from other people, and her mother would have hated the thought that her daughter even considered it. But...Mom was dead. She had figured that out a while ago. The memory of her was nothing more than that: a memory. Memories wouldn't let her survive, only action would.

It was a tricky thing, stealing. She'd already experienced a few failed attempts and more than a few chases, and those hadn't exactly been fun. But she was able to get away each time before her actions caught up to her. There were times when she considered letting herself commit a crime, then get caught on purpose. Living in a prison was probably a lot better than living on the streets. There would be a roof over her head, and she would be fed every day. But she didn't know what Chinese prisons were like, or how they differed from the American ones her mother told her of. It was very possible it was worse on the inside.

But even more importantly, Ada didn't want to relinquish her freedom. She didn't know why it never occurred to her before, but the very thought of being trapped in a cell was almost nauseating. Not in a claustrophobic way, but some much deeper psychological way, as if her very freedom was an emotion. No, it wouldn't do to become a prisoner.

Ada shook her philosophizing away and spied a target. A semi formally dressed man was paying for his meal as a woman approached him and began conversing with him. Whether they were flirting or just chatting, Ada didn't care, because he had left his wallet on the side of the table, easily within her reach. Automatically, she entered the seating area, weaving around the tables while trying to act nonchalant. As she neared the table, she plucked the wallet off the surface, not even breaking stride. She made it three steps and-

"Hey!"

Ada gasped and turned her head. The man was already on his feet, reaching out to stop her and looking very pissed off. She broke into a run, shoving a waiter with a tray of food out of the way before hopping over the small fence that ran partway around the cafe, then put on a burst of speed. She chanced a look behind her again, and her jaw nearly dropped in surprise. The man hopped the fence just as easily as she had, if not even better, and was now actually catching up to her.

_Oh, shit!_

Ada willed more speed into her legs as she darted through the thinning crowd. No matter how many turns she took, or what corners she cut, the man followed each and every move. She cut into another alley, but cursed out loud when she saw that it ended in a dead end. Nothing but layered bricks before her. She skidded to a halt before her momentum could drive her into the wall, the man doing the same behind her, but putting a healthy distance between them.

She whirled around, body cocked and ready...to do nothing. That grip held her again, halting her moves. She hadn't been caught before, she was unsure what to do. Instinct told her to run, to do something to get away. But the way was blocked, and instead, her body trembled as the man approached her. When he took a step forward, she took a shaky one back. A few more, and she would be against the wall.

The man didn't even seem to be out of breath. "Just give me back the wallet, kiddo, and things won't go so badly." he said ominously, raising his hand as if greeting her, but the gesture didn't mean anything to her.

She glanced down at the leather wallet, still clutched in her trembling right hand. The material was creasing as her death grip bore down on it. Part of her wanted to just pitch it away and hope he went after it and left her alone. The other part of her glanced around. The ground was bare, save for a few scraps of trash; nothing that could be used as a weapon. He was bigger and just as fast as her, if not faster. Ada took a step to the side, hoping that maybe she could dart past him, but the man simply stepped with her, blocking her path. When he suddenly reached out towards her, she mistook it for an attack.

Like with the thug at the bar during her first night, she suddenly snapped, her leg lashing out into his gut. She drew back her arm and punched at his face-

-only to feel his hand grip her wrist and spin her about, setting her comically off balance. Her arm was wrenched up behind her in a painful arm lock, forcing her to cry out just as he shoved her to the alley wall. Sandwiched between his surprisingly heavy body and the wall, she was helpless as he pried her fingers from his wallet. Once he had the item, he released her, but not before simply tripping her over his foot, sending her sprawling to the ground.

This last bit of insult to her pride set her anger ablaze. The wallet and money forgotten, Ada simply wanted to hurt this man who so casually humiliated her and denied her her goals, her very survival. She scrabbled forward and grabbed his ankle in an attempt to trip him, but at best, she only set him off balance. Her hands twisted into claws, broken nails ready to tear at his face. But like before, he simply stopped her with minimal effort, only this time, he rammed his fist into her stomach, expelling her breath in a cough and spray of spit. Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees gasping for air.

The man stuck his leg out again, shoving her to the ground with his foot, then ground his shoe onto her shoulder. Trying to both recover her breath and thrash free, Ada squirmed futilely beneath him, beating at a solid leg with her fists.

"You're not from around here, I'm guessing," he said slowly, ignoring her struggling, then raised his arm again. "Don't recognize this?"

Finally, Ada noticed what she missed before. A small tattoo on his wrist winked at her in the shape of some gang symbol. Her heart rate quickened; she didn't know anything about the local gangs, but if he was making a point about it, it probably wasn't good for her. What if she just signed her own death warrant?

"You're not scared?" he asked mildly.

Ada swallowed hard. It definitely scared her, especially since she had no idea what to be scared about. The worst that could happen was limited to her imagination, and that was, to say the least, quite vivid. All she could do was stare up at him with the eyes of a trapped animal. But that was all.

"I guess not," he mused as he dug into his pocket, removed something, then flicked his wrist. Ada caught the glint of a blade. His foot came off of her shoulder as he leaned down and gripped her hair, then pressed a cold switchblade against her throat.

"No please!" Ada cried out, unaware that she had done so in English. Unable to do anything, she closed her eyes tightly and waited for the pain. But it never came.

"Oh, so she does speak," the man said, grinning at her as she nervously opened her eyes. "And judging by what I just heard, an American?"

Sort of. Ada was half Italian, half Chinese. She only moved to America after she was about 5 years old. But she doubted that he wanted to hear her life story, so she just nodded her head, squirming lightly in his grip. She wanted to get away from the knife against her throat, but he held her securely by her hair, and both of her hands were locked on his wrist to avoid losing her scalp. So the blade stayed where it was.

"So what are you doing in Bejing?" he asked. "Other than trying to rob me."

"Why the hell do you care?" she snapped back, remembering to speak in Mandarin.

"I care," he informed her, jerking her slightly, "Because when some brat steals a Triad wallet, she either has a plan, or she's a total idiot. So which is it?"

Christ, a Triad? She was in deep now. By all means, she should be dead already. But something was holding the blade from slicing her throat from ear to ear. That was all that mattered, so Ada decided to play along.

"I guess I'm an idiot then," she said.

"And what's an American doing living on Chinese streets? Lose your field trip group?"

"It's a long story," she growled back. "What the hell do you want from me?"

He paused to look over his shoulder, making sure that no passerby saw them. But they were far enough into the alley that they were practically invisible. At that moment, Ada was sure she was going to die. But then he pulled the knife away, first retracting the blade then putting it back in his pocket. With the threat gone, she almost attacked him, but he still held her firmly by the hair, and she didn't want to release her support.

"You're pretty fast," he remarked. "And you have a decent kick, if you actually tried with it..." he trailed off, thinking of his next words.

"So?" Ada countered.

"So...here's what I think. You're just a kid, and you got shafted really bad. You're not on your home turf, lost and confused. You're barely making it by as an amateur thief. I'm going to guess that it won't be long before you wind up dead or worse. I can help you with that."

Ada almost laughed despite her situation and the fact that she was amazed at his accurate reasoning. "Help me? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Give you a place to stay, feed you, keep you out of trouble, that sort of thing," the man shrugged. "Infinitely better than what you're used to, probably."

The temptation lured her immediately, despite her current predicament. He was offering her all the comforts of a home, at least to some degree. Who was she to turn that down. But there had to be a catch, there always was.

"Why? Why are you offering me this?" she asked warily.

The man shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I have other options. A pretty face like you? You'd look great in one of the brothels. I'm sure you'd bring a lot of business, especially with that mouth. But one more whore to keep track of can be a real pain in the ass. I could just kill you, or beat the shit out of you, but to be honest, I have some things you could probably help me with, and I'm feeling particularly generous today." Something about that didn't sound right. It didn't even look like he was telling the truth. It was in his eyes when he looked at her closely. He didn't give away much, but Ada was unnaturally good at spotting lies.

He released her hair suddenly, almost making her fall to the ground had she not caught herself on her elbows, then rose to his feet, offering her his hand. "What do you say?"

_Take it or leave it._

Ada hesitated, trying to decide quickly. What if all of this was some scam, so that he could just drag her away and rape her? Or worse, do what he mentioned and force her to work for the mob in some shit whore house? But he'd been right about everything: at this rate, she wasn't going to last. Either the elements would kill her, or someone who wasn't as forgiving as this man appeared to be. Slowly reached up and took it, then got to her feet with assistance from the man.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked.

"Ada. Ada Wong. Who're you?"

"Ada...I'm Feng," he replied.

"Feng...?" she asked, expecting more.

"Just Feng. For now, at least. Come on, let's go." With that, he pressed a hand to her back, leading her out of the alley like a friend.

Ada still wasn't sure whether she should accept him or stay on guard. His touch felt sincere enough, and it wasn't like he moved to grab her ass right away. She wanted to be able to relax again, but this guy was a crook, not exactly the type she should just trust. But try as she might to find a reason why he might hurt her, she felt her body began to relax. It felt like she was taking the first step towards a better life.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**September 27th, 1992**

**Beijing, China**

**2:38pm**

_23...24...25..._

Ada raised and lowered herself, making sure that every time she went up, her chin tucked over the bar stuck into the high door frame. She kept the count of reps of pull ups in her head. Below her, her ankles were crossed, legs bent at the knees to prevent herself from touching the floor. Carefully held air in her lungs moved in and out through her nose and mouth in cool, controlled breaths. Over the past few days, there had been really nothing to do but sleep, eat, and try to work on her conditioning.

Feng didn't have much as far as athletic equipment, but she made do with the little he did have. She wasn't some muscle work-out junkie anyways, but made it a habit in her past life to get to the gym at least once a week.. Most of Ada's workouts stemmed from using her own body: push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and the like. She had ran track in high school, as well as a bit in college during her brief time there. Endurance and speed were her areas; strength came from that, her mother always said.

_31...32...33...34..._

Ada held her breath, then decided not to push it. She lowered herself from the bar suspended in the doorway and ran a hand across her forehead, wet with sweat. A few loose strands of cut hair from her self trim days ago were still turning up from the lack of combing she'd done. She wiped her hand on the waist of her sweatpants, then grabbed a fluffy white hand towel from the back of a chair, lightly dabbing at the wettest parts of her body.

Being back in a livable environment almost brought her to tears of happiness the first night. It was one of those moments were you realized that no matter how bad you thought you were off before, it didn't compare to actually drifting around homeless. Feng's place wasn't home, but it felt damn close to it.

It was a classy apartment, definitely fitting of someone who worked for the mob. Everything looked brand new and expensive, but now that she knew that Feng was a Triad, everything seemed tainted, as if it had been bought with dirty money. The apartment was big; so big that she had her own bedroom. At first she couldn't believe it. A mob thug, taking a homeless girl off the streets, then giving her her own place to sleep? But it was all real, and no joke. Ada had her own bed, clean sheets, bathroom, and no restrictions to the entire place. It was like Feng had known her all his life, even buying her some better clothes.

Once the initial shock of comfort had worn off, Ada began to grow restless. Her life on the street was full of danger and pain. Now that she was safe and comfortable, it almost seemed boring. At the same time, living back on the streets was something she feared. She didn't want to go back to her old life

Most of her skin now dry, but still damp to stay cool, Ada placed the towel back over the chair. She sank to her knees, then stretched out prone on the floor, taking up position for her reps of push-ups. Though her muscles still burned, she kept on with her workout, not wanting her body to seize up. After a second's pause and a deep breath, she began.

_1...2...3.._

What was she supposed to do now? Feng took her in; that was a start, but a start to what? She was off the streets, mercifully, and given another chance at life. But that in itself was a problem. Ada still didn't have an education, and no prior job experience. What amount of normalcy could she retain with that? Feng probably wouldn't fund a girl through college, even if he was loaded with dirty cash. Nor would he just feed her a bit, then let her go if or when she got a job. He'd said something about helping him with something.

_10...11...12...13..._

The only thing Ada knew for certain was that she wasn't going to waste the time given to her. Feng wanted something from her, and she would give it to him. He helped her, and there was no way she was going to leave him holding the bag. So to help him, she would push herself and make herself stronger. It was really the only thing left she could do. Whatever Feng had planned, it probably wasn't legal, and she probably wasn't going to enjoy it.

_24...25...26...

* * *

_**5:43pm**

Feng wasn't an exceptional cook, but whatever he made her always tasted great. Ada ate hungrily, as if she was trying to put the lost weight back into her, only to convert it into muscle and start again. Feng himself didn't eat too much, but Ada noticed that he tended to watch her a little too often. Creepy at first, but there was no malice in his eyes, only a sort of curiosity she couldn't quite put her finger on. So instead, she ignored it, figuring it was because she reminded him of someone, family or a lover, which is why he took her in in the first place.

He wasn't intimidating or didn't look like a typical thug. If he did, Ada would have never been stupid enough to try and rob him. He looked like any other Chinese man Ada had seen; average, only he had a slightly better build to him. His taste in clothing was casual, yet held a sense of class.

"You know," he said suddenly during dinner. "You've been here three days, and I don't know much beyond your name."

"Yeah," Ada admitted, suddenly feeling guilty, as if she was freeloading off of him, which was precisely what she _was_ doing.

"You want to talk?" he asked mildly.

Ada pursed her lips together, thinking, then decided that there was no harm in it. "Sure."

So they began to talk. Feng asked her politely enough about her past, and Ada told him everything. She hadn't intended on telling him as much as she did, but it just spilled forth, as if it was something she needed to get off her chest. From her birth of mixed heritage to her travels around Europe. To her and her mother moving to America. Then about Elena. Then about father and what happened several months ago. Ada found herself stopping suddenly, but not because of what she felt. She was strangely without emotion. There was a brief pause between them before Feng spoke again.

"Do you hate him?"

"...I don't know," Ada said slowly after further hesitation. It was true: not once did she ever feel hate towards Lei Wong for how he treated her, or how he spoke to her mother. But there was no denying there was _something_ there, something that triggered that ear ringing slap in his office that one day. Why shouldn't she hate him? Wasn't it human to? "Shouldn't I?"

"There are other things besides hate that drive us," Feng replied cryptically as he sipped from his cup. "You just haven't found what drives you. I'm guessing that's why I found you like I did."

Ada looked down at her cleaned plate, contemplating his words. It sounded weird, but at the same time, it sounded right.

_What drives Ada Wong?_

Her first thought was her mother. But her mother was gone. Ada couldn't live for her mother if she wasn't alive. Her father? Hardly. There was nothing else. Academics were a lost cause, and she could never find a job that would support her. There was nothing. It was as if life was a wind, and she was tumbling head over heals along with it. What was her goal?

"Yeah, you're right," she said, not looking up. "I...just don't know what to do now."

Feng leaned back in his chair. "Well, as I told you back in that alley, I can help you with that..."

* * *

**9:12pm**

It scared her to death, but Ada decided that she was going to do it, she _had _to do it. It was all that was left for her. Feng wanted her do to something, and it was time for her to repay him for what he did for her.

She walked quickly, along the dark streets. An overcast afternoon persisted, blocking the entire sky of stars and the moon. The fear wasn't disappearing. She tried to hide it, tried to outwalk it in long strides, but it stayed with her the entire time. Her job was simple enough: get a piece of jewelry back, a necklace. That was all Feng gave her, as well as where it was supposed to be and who had it.

Then he gave her one last thing, and this is what brought the fear: a gun. He'd literally told her everything, then pushed it into her hands, then pushed her out the door, leaving her to only stare at the weapon in her hand.

Now, with the gun stashed in her backpack, Ada tried to fathom exactly what she had to do. Her objective was clear, but there seemed to be something else, like writing between the lines. Why had Feng given her a gun? Clearly, it wasn't going to be as easy as walking in and asking for the necklace. But if it was going to be dangerous, why had he sent someone so inexperienced?

Before she knew it, Ada found herself at her destination: a seedy apartment complex in the bowels of the city. After a quick look around her and seeing that the coast was clear, Ada dipped into a nearby alley and pulled her backpack off her shoulders, then rummaged inside of it, removing the gun.

It was a model 77, not one she was familiar with, but it didn't take her long to find the safety and magazine release. It was a basic semi-auto, just like she shot with her mother from time to time. 9 millimeter, just like she was used to. After making very sure the gun was safe, she stuck it into the back of her jeans, then flipped the hem of her shirt over it, concealing it. The ice cold metal wasn't very reassuring as it touched her bare skin at the small of her back.

It was then that Ada contemplated running away. Feng wouldn't chase her, and even if he wanted to, she could be long gone before he realized she was gone. But what then? Back to the streets, only in a different city, living without purpose?

_No. I can do this._

With one last deep breath, Ada left the alley, then entered the apartment complex. The front door wasn't locked. In fact, it almost fell off the hinges when she opened it. The type of people who lived in a place like this were dangerous. Junkies, thugs, and criminals to name a few. Maybe that's why Feng had armed her. Maybe he was just concerned for her.

_312...apartment 312._

Ada made her way up a half destroyed set of stairs until she was on the third floor. The place reeked of smoke and half a dozen other chemicals she didn't care to know. Some dull sound came from within the building overpowering the sound of her own breath, which trembled slightly. Apartment 312 was halfway down, the 2 lopsided, barely held in place by a single nail. Trash littered the hall, and what was left of wallpaper and paint peeled down the walls.

She pursed her lips together tightly, wanting to bite down on the lower one, but was afraid that she might draw her own blood. So instead, she clamped her hand into a fist, then wrapped hard on the door. It was hard to believe that she was actually going through with it, yet at the same time, it felt strangely exhilarating.

There was a pause, then the beaten door swung open, revealing an older Chinese man in shabby clothes; ripped jeans and an off white tank top. He glared cautiously at the young woman before him. "What do you want?"

Ada swallowed hard, then hoped she was doing her best at looking calm, and not intimidated. "Hui, Feng wants it back," she said, trying to be assertive.

The man's, Hui's, eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about, kid?"

"You know what I'm talking about," she replied. "I'm here for the necklace."

Hui laughed bitterly. "And Feng sent you to take it from me? Tell him I'm not impressed." With that, he began to shut the door. He stopped, surprised when Ada pushed her hand against the door, not exactly with much strength, but with defiance.

"I'm not leaving without it," she informed him, her brow furrowed in determination. She wasn't going to be pushed away so easily. Not again, not this time in life when she had a second chance.

Hui yanked the door open and stepped forward, shoving her against the opposite wall by the chest. That panic rose in her again, and already Ada could feel the webbing that was halting her actions.

"Listen to me, you fucking bitch," Hui hissed. "You've got some nerve to-"

-Ada acted suddenly. She pushed against him, just hard enough to separate them by inches. Then she reached behind her and pulled the gun free, leveling it in his surprised face. "Stay...back..." she breathed, though the tremble in her voice didn't match the steel in her limbs.

With her gun in his face, Hui slowly stepped back into the apartment, his hands raised. He suddenly didn't look so intimidating anymore. "Easy, kid," he said carefully. Ada followed him in, not bothering to shut the door. She didn't want to take her eyes off of him, lest he try to attack.

Once they were both fully inside, Ada noticed the other person in the room. It was a woman, sitting in a chair in the corner. She looked just as disheveled as Hui did. Ada noticed after a quick glance that she was visibly frightened, but other than that, did nothing but sit quietly and observe the scene before her.

"Give me the necklace," Ada said, this time forcing more authority in her voice. But as her voice grew stronger, the gun shook in her grip. "Just do it, and I won't hurt you."

Hui glanced over at the woman, then nodded his head. She nodded back, then got up and opened a drawer, pulling free a black velvet case. She opened it, revealing her goal: a gold necklace, studded with more gems than Ada thought possible. Almost beckoning like a greedy child, she motioned to the woman, who brought it to her. Ada snatched it from its case and stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans.

In the brief moment when she took her eyes off Hui to put the necklace away, he lunged forward, grabbing her arm. A twitch of surprise ran through her, and before she even realized it, her finger tightened on the trigger of the gun. A ear splitting _bang_ sounded in the tiny apartment. The woman screamed as Ada herself jumped from the noise. Hui fell back, and everything seemed to slow down for her.

She saw the hole, charred with black around the edges on his white top. She saw the seeping red spreading out from it, thicker on the lower half of the hole. She saw him fall back, his eyes already lifeless and glossy. She heard him hit the floor with a dull sound and lie motionless. She heard the woman let out an even louder scream as it all happened.

Time resumed its normal flow. The woman fell to her knees by Hui's side, crying out. Ada stumbled back, almost tripping over her own feet as her eyes became the size of plates, bulging with shock. It felt as if countless, confusing emotions were swarming over her, and it made her want to vomit. Somehow, she managed to hold her stomach as she stumbled out into the hall, then began to run.

* * *

**9:26pm**

_I killed him...I killed him...I killed him...I killed him..._

The phrase repeated itself again and again in her head. Even as she doubled over, coughing violently from her sprint many blocks later, it echoed back and forth, from one corner of her mind to the other.

The sky had unleashed a downpour, as if it had been holding it in all day. Within seconds of being outside, Ada was drenched. But that hardly mattered to her. The only thing she could see was Hui's dead, sightless eyes in her swimming vision. Every time she saw them, they looked more and more like they were accusing her; accusing their killer.

Ada stumbled into an alley, panting hard as she splashed through water then leaned against a wall. Wasn't she crying? With so much water running down her face and into her eyes, she couldn't tell. She wanted to cry, to mourn the loss of life, to repent for the person she didn't want to kill. At the same time, there was anger and frustration. Why had he tried to attack her? Hadn't she said she wasn't going to hurt him? Idiot!

A few more steps, and Ada simply stopped, pressed her back to the wall and let herself drop. She fell with a splash in an inch of water, then looked at the gun still clutched in her hand. The entire run from the apartment, she hadn't let it go. It was as if it was glued or welded to her hand, right where it belonged: the hand of a killer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**September 28th, 1992**

**Beijing, China**

**12:09am**

Feng didn't look worried or surprised when he saw Ada standing in the doorway after her knock. Drenched and shivering from her long shuffle back, she simply stared back with her hazel eyes hollow and distant. In her left hand, she held the necklace like a limp, glittering snake, strangled in a death grip. In her other, she still held the gun equally as tight. Very slowly, submissively, she raised her left, presenting the jewelry with a tremble, her fingers still coiled around the gold and jewels.

"Feng...I..." Ada said, then let out a choked hiccup. "I...I..." She found that she couldn't finish. Instead, she just let herself fall forward, being caught lightly in Feng's arms. One of his arms, warm and comfortable, found its way around her shoulders. She felt his hand on her own, gently prying her fingers away, then pulled the necklace free. Losing its purpose, her left arm dangled limply at her side.

"Don't worry," he said calmly and quietly. "I know. Come on."

He led her back into the apartment, shutting the door behind them with a light kick of his toe. Ada hiccuped again, blinking rapidly, trying to clear away tears that weren't there. She felt like wanting to cry, but her body seemed to have other plans, waiting for a different emotion to shed water for. Together, Feng and Ada sat on one of his plush, comfortable couches. She sank closer to him, his arm still around her shoulder lightly.

"Ada, give me the gun," he said gently, lifting her limp arm and taking hold of the weapon. At first she resisted, only tightening her grip, but as his hands touched hers reassuringly, it slackened, and he took it away, setting it on the end table. "Now, tell me what happened."

Ada swallowed hard. She didn't turn to look Feng in the eye, instead, stared blankly straight ahead into the living room fireplace, which sat dark. Hui's accusing dead eyes hadn't left her mind the entire way home. "I..I-I didn't want to hurt him," she whispered fearfully, not noticing that she probably wasn't making sense. "He gave me the necklace, and I was going to leave. But he jumped at me, and-and, the gun went off, and she screamed..." She trailed off, a shiver running over her last breath. "I didn't mean to do it, I didn't mean to..."

"Ada, do you know what I had you do tonight?" Feng asked suddenly in her ear. His voice wasn't angry, but it wasn't kind either.

She didn't answer, thinking the question was rhetorical. He was acting sympathetic outwardly, but inside, she could tell that he wasn't happy with her. She killed a man, and all she was supposed to have done was gotten a stupid piece of jewelry back. What if Hui and Feng had been friends at one point? What if Feng didn't want Hui to be killed? Even if they weren't, nothing good could come from it. The cops could trace it back to her, back to Feng, and with his relation to the mob...

"Ada...?"

She sniffed, then realized he was really asking the question. "You...you wanted me to go and get a necklace back."

"And what did you do?"

"I...I..."

"Say it, Ada..."

She swallowed hard one last time, the sound of her throat moving actually audible in the silence between them, then hung her head. "I...killed someone." Her voice sounded so cold and hollow to her ears. There was no emotion in the sentence, only fact. Hui's death was on her hands. She pulled the trigger, she ended his life.

Feng gave her shoulders a small squeeze. "No."

Ada's head slowly rose in surprise. She locked her watery eyes on him. "What?"

"I'll ask you again: do you know what I had you do tonight?"

Her mouth opening slightly, she could only look at him in confusion. "Feng, I don't-"

"Ada...answer me."

"You wanted me to get a necklace. What are you-"

"What did you do?" Feng demanded.

"I went and I killed someone!" she replied, her voice beginning to shake in anger. Was this his way of punishing her, to admit guilt again and again? If it was, it was working great. That crushing sorrow she felt on the way home was beginning to feel even worse.

"No, Ada. You didn't kill someone. You did exactly what I told you." He held up the beautiful necklace in his hand, and she stared back at the gems in it. "You brought this back. Do you see now? It doesn't matter what you did. I gave you a purpose, and you fulfilled it. That's why...Ada, look at me..." Her attention had been drifting away while she was drinking in his words. The previous events were still running through her head. But he cupped a hand under her chin and directed her face back to his, where she obediently listened. "That's why your father cut you off. You didn't have a purpose for him. That's why I found you wasting away on the street, because you didn't have a purpose."

The tears started to flow. Not out of sadness, fear, or regret, but out of relief. In her heart, she knew Feng was right, about everything; she was just too scared to accept it at first. That night, she learned that Ada Wong wasn't some blemish on the face of the planet, but someone who was needed, someone who was sought after. She leaned forward, placing her head on Feng's shoulder, sobbing quietly. His hand came around and gently pushed some matted bangs away from her face.

They sat like that for the next hour.

* * *

**September 30th, 1992**

**Beijing, China**

**3:46pm**

_Now that I've got all of this money, just what am I supposed to do with it?_

Ada walked along the sidewalk, not going in any particular direction, trying to collect her thoughts. To the other pedestrians, she appeared to be just another passerby. Feng had given her over 7,000 yuan for helping him, in cash, with promise of more work for her. Being connected to a Triad wasn't good on a resume, so getting an ordinary job was out of the question. College cost way more, and there wasn't anything left to go back home to the States for. Feng would have plenty for her to do. Plenty of purpose.

It felt like a turning point in her life. Up until the past few months, she had been nothing more than an average girl, raised in below average settings. Life was hard, but good. Then, all of a sudden, she was beaten down and thrown away, by her own father no less. What ensued because of it was terrifying. But somehow, she managed to get back up with a renewed sense of life.

Ada stopped suddenly, unaware why she had done so in the middle of her deep thinking. But then she noticed she had halted in front of a boutique, some foreign designer store in the business district. She almost payed no heed to it, about to continue her mindless stroll, then noticed the front display window. Inside it, adorned on a lifeless white mannequin, was the most beautiful dress Ada had ever seen.

She was too transfixed on the garment to notice the designer brand or even the price. It was long and graceful, shimmering like silk. But most enticing of all, it was a bright crimson, her and her mother's favorite color. All other thoughts left her; that dress was _calling _her.

She entered the shop, receiving a few stares from some shoppers. All of them were at least a decade older than her and much better dressed. But instead of being deterred, Ada made her way to the service desk. "I want to try that dress in the window on," she said to the woman working there, then added for clarification, "The red one."

The woman gave Ada a slight look of contempt at her semi-ratty appearance, but then decided to acknowledge the request. After all, Ada didn't look homeless anymore, just average. So she sent Ada to a fitting room, then arrived several minutes later, carrying the dress carefully over her arm. Another minute later and now alone, Ada stripped off her shirt and jeans and slid the silken cloth over her.

The cool, smooth material felt wondrous against her bare skin. The dress felt light, as if she barely wore anything, and her legs were unhampered beneath it thanks to a long, provocative cut up one side. Sewn in gold silk starting at the trailing hem were butterflies that swam up the sea of red, passed her hip, ending at her breast at the halter style top that in itself looked like a curve of wings.

Ada adjusted the long red ribbon that held the dress from her neck, then turned to the mirror. She felt beautiful, she was sure of it. The dress accented a slight curve in her body that she never knew was even there. There were a few adjustments that could be made; the red, while stunning, need a few lines drawn, not to mention the fact that she was barefoot.

_Some black accessories, like heels. Maybe a scarf or a shawl...hmm, with the right make-up..._

Feeling a bit ridiculous, Ada struck a pose, running a hand through her hair like a glamor model in a magazine, then looked at the reflection in the dressing room mirror. Her hair was all wrong, far too long and not glowing like a pampered woman's. She noticed that in holding her black locks her fingernails were worn and gritty, not smooth and polished. There were no zits on her face, but her complexion wasn't quite even, and her skin wasn't exactly glamorous. Everything was just off.

It was a nice little fantasy, but Ada began to undo the fastening of the dress. There was no way someone like her could be so gaudy, so extremely classy. _But why not,_ her mind countered before she could untie the fastening. _You have money, you have purpose. Why be just another person when you can be unique?_

Ada thought back to what her mother would have wanted for her. She would want Ada to be happy, to excel and enjoy life. Enjoyment...a life full of luxury and comfort. Filled with thrills and the passion to do them. Ada looked first to her appearance in the mirror, then to the price tag on the dress, then to the dress itself. Gold butterflies...a smile crossed her lips.

Gone were the days of letting life throw her around, like a piece of paper in the wind. She would spread her own wings and control things from now on.

Ada quickly changed back into her clothes. Change was in order, but first there were a few things to take care of. With her she took the dress on its hanger to the the desk, much to the surprise of the woman who had helped her earlier.

"Package this for me, please," she said. "I'd like to buy it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**August 3****rd****, 1995**

**Beijing, China**

**1:59pm**

Three black cars stopped in the circle drive in just outside the office complex. It was Wong Enterprise, right on time as usual. Lin and his partner Shen went out to meet the convoy. Lin felt tense, but then again, he always did when he worked at his job. He was surprised he wasn't more-so in a situation like this. Umbrella was a huge company, and if this merger went through okay, maybe he'd even be able to keep his job. It wasn't easy trying to feed a family, and working as a security guard wasn't exactly the most high end job in the world.

The security escort had done its job: pick up the Umbrella rep and bring her to home turf for the deal. Their building, their rules, and if Umbrella wanted anything different, they'd have to put up with it anyway. Lin walked ahead to meet the gathering group of men and women, leaving Shen to hover near the door for distance.

He had expected a lot of things, but never that the Umbrella rep could be that good looking. She stood between a pair of escorts, not the least bit intimidated by them. If he didn't know any better, Lin would think that _they_ were guarding _her_, not keeping an eye on her for shady moves.

There were three marked guards in uniforms, one in each car. The rest of the caravan were in suits, under the guise of accountants and other legal fodder. All of them were in fact security detail as well, armed and ready for action. Normally, this wouldn't be the case, but Umbrella was to big for all of their business to have been acquired legally and without force. Most of the security was just a face for the company to assert itself as well as stop anyone who might not want the deal to go down. Just another reason why this was mostly secret for now.

The Umbrella rep was something else. Tall and beautiful, even with her sunglasses on to shield the high August sun. Despite the heat, she wore a sleek pinstriped business suit with a deep red blouse underneath that was tastefully unbuttoned at the top.

They would have identified her when they picked her up, but it was his job to verify everything that came into the facility. So like it or not, she was going to get examined one more time.

"Ma'am," he said to her firmly once he reached them. "If you would please show me your identification."

"Of course," she replied in a velvet-like voice, fluidly reaching into her blazer pocket for a small leather wallet, then handed it to him after flipping it open with nothing but her fingers.

Lin took it and held it up for comparison while the Umbrella rep took her glasses off as a courtesy. He scanned all the known markers. Logo, check. Seven digit ID code, check. Bar code, division, office, check, check and check. The photo looked genuine, not some hastily done edit or lamination. The black haired woman smiling confidently in the picture was the same standing before him. The name identified her as Katherine DeVita.

"Your case, if you will," Lin insisted, pointing to the small bag she carried. DeVita didn't object, handing it over to him so he could search it. There was nothing out of the ordinary; a wad of files, a calculator, a pack of mints, and some writing utensils.

"You speak Mandarin very well," he observed casually as he checked through the case. A little too well for someone who didn't look purely Chinese. The name DeVita sounded European, but she didn't look that either.

"My father was Chinese," she replied coolly. "Such a beautiful language. I don't get many chances to speak it back home. That's what I told your friends, by the way." She cocked her head back at the remainder of the escort.

She smiled sweetly, as if the security sweep was a little game to her. Satisfied at finding nothing, but not at the rep's arrogant attitude, he waved her by.

"Thank you," she said, then placed her sunglasses back over her eyes.

* * *

It was all so laughably easy, Ada wondered why she felt so tense. Maybe it was being back in Bejing after so long. Maybe it was because destiny came knocking. Whatever it was, she kept her charade up. Dropping appearances this far into the lion's den would be fatal. But it was getting easier and easier to act every day. People didn't realize just how far an attitude could get you.

The security guard, Lin, as Ada read on his badge after a quick glance, handed her case and identification back. He never suspected that the small flip-top briefcase had a handgun concealed in the lid. But then again, why should he? This was supposed to be a quiet little deal. Her father's company just wanted to put on a tough face. Even if she really was from Umbrella, she wouldn't have been impressed.

Once the little check was done, Ada and her escort made their way into the office. There were three obvious guards, but she suspected that the rest of them were armed as well. It was always best to assume the worst, she learned over the past years.

They entered through the front door and crossed the lobby. The place was fairly small, so it wasn't going to be easy to disappear. Past a few rows of reception desks, Ada and two guards entered an elevator, just as she planned. Once the deal started, she doubted that they would bother to stick more guards around her, lest she grow suspicious of something.

Her latest contract was a doozy, almost to the point where Ada refused it, which she rarely did. It wasn't the money that lured her to accept it, which was substantial to say the least. An entirely different motive was the reason why she was there.

Her employer, who preferred to stay anonymous, wanted to make sure that the deal between Umbrella and Wong Enterprise never went down. Plainly put, it was a hit. This led to about a week of planning and effort, and so far everything was going perfectly.

The Umbrella representative was a woman named Katherine DeVita, a young woman who was beginning to work her way up the corporate ladder. To Wong Enterprise, that woman was currently riding the elevator to the conference room on the top floor. In reality, the real Katherine was comfortably handcuffed to her hotel radiator, half a roll of tape around her mouth and a hefty dose of diazepam in her for good measure. It was a simple matter of pulling her ID and personal papers, then getting them redone with Ada's own face and measurements. A quick spritz of perfume and the guards had no way of proving her identity otherwise.

The deal between the companies was a complete merger. Wong Enterprise and Umbrella would become one company. It sounded sweet of both sides, but Ada knew better. Most likely, Umbrella was just going to swallow and assimilate the lesser company, growing more powerful in the process. She had heard rumors about the pharmaceutics giant, and none were too flattering. It was one of the reasons why she tended to avoid involving herself with their affairs in the first place.

The elevator dinged as it reached its destination. Ada and her two escorts got out, and they led her down a quiet hallway to a set of double doors at the end. One opened half of it for her and entered behind her, while the other stayed outside. She had half a hope they would both stay out there, but it wouldn't be much of a difference anyway.

Her target, a middle aged Chinese man man named Luo Ming with a slick suit and greasy looks, rose from the end of the empty conference table. She recognized that look on his face immediately, the one that burned into a woman's privacy. A quick look over the information on him had shown that he was a bit of a womanizer, among other things. Not the first perv she had met, and definitely not the last.

He greeted Ada with an outstretched hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss..."

"DeVita. Katherine DeVita," Ada replied smoothly and professionally, as if it really was her name. She shook his hand, then added for good measure, "Call me Katie."

"Very well, Katie," Ming said, grinning like he'd just scored points with her. "Please, have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," Ada said, then cast a sidelong glance at the remaining guard. "Do you think we could do without the extra set of ears?" she asked, doing her best to sound like it was in his best interest, but apparently, Ming liked his job just a little more than women.

"I do apologize, but it is a strict policy that I must enforce. I hope you understand."

"Very well," Ada said with a tiny sigh, admitting false defeat. Her pulse rose slightly. Having another gun in the room would make things a little harder.

She had to give enough time to let the outside guards move away from the room. So she set her briefcase on the conference table, being careful to leave the latch in its correct position. If she twisted it the opposite way when she opened it, the false top would fall open, revealing the gun.

Ada wasn't stupid, so stalling the inevitable was easy. The deal was simple enough, all laid out perfectly in DeVita's notes. Basically, Umbrella wanted the entire company. All Ada had to do was sit back and work a little charm and tease, even if she had no real idea behind the business. After 20 minutes of sweet talk, she made her move.

"Luo," Ada said, smiling politely. "This is beginning to sound better and better. I'm sold. Would you like to sign?"

The man's eyes lit up triumphantly. "Yes! Of course!"

_Just need to get the guard over here..._

Ada turned the latch of her case, but left it closed, feigning difficulty to open it. She rolled her eyes in exasperation and fiddled harder. "Honestly, this thing...I don't know why I don't get a new one." She looked over her shoulder to the guard and batted her eyes in embarrassment. "Sorry, could you give me a hand? I don't think it's going to open this time."

The guard came over to her side, and began to open the case. Ada lashed out, slamming the back of her fist into his nose, then re-chambered her arm as his head jerked back. She struck again in a quick chop that cracked him across his exposed throat.

He hit the ground gasping, and just as fast as she struck, she reached inside her case and pulled free the lightweight Glock. Ming had a second to look surprise before Ada pulled the trigger, sending a bullet into his chest. His lifeless body fell off of the leather chair he had been sitting, bouncing once off the tabletop before sliding onto the floor.

The guard began to get back up, reaching for the gun at his belt, but Ada kicked, a leather boot bashing him across the temple and putting him down for good.

The door burst open and the second guard from before lunged in, his gun already drawn. Ada was at a bad angle, unable to get her gun around without first turning her body.

"Don't move!" the guard barked. Lucky her that he didn't shoot first.

Ada _did _move, throwing herself to the side, over the polished conference table. The guard fired as she half rolled, half slid across the smooth surface, the bullet gouging into it just behind her. She fell onto the ground on her back and pointed her weapon beneath the table at the man's barely visible legs. She fired three times, two shots splintering into the wooden legs and chairs, but one found its mark, obliterating the shin of the guard.

Ignoring the cries of pain from him, Ada scrambled to her feet, digging into her pocket. With a simple flick of her wrist, she tossed something onto the table, amidst the heap of scattered papers: a small data stick. Such a movement was so small, so effortless, but Ada could swear that the tiny stick hit the wood like an anvil.

This was the reason why she made the effort.

Ming was dead, and the two guards were incapacitated. Ada quickly made her way to the door and peered out into the hall. Still empty, and the wounded guard payed no attention to her. She bolted, heading for the stairs, and began to descend the floors as fast as she could. By some stroke of luck, she didn't encounter anyone else in the stairwell.

After stowing the gun in the waist of her pants and beneath her blazer and hoping she didn't look out of breath, she left the stairwell and began to move through the first floor of the building. The rest of the place was in obvious distress, everyone not exactly sure what the loud noises were. Several guards rushed past her, heading to the scene, but since the meeting was mostly secret, they didn't pay any attention to her.

Only when she left through the back did Ada breath a sigh of relief. She immediately spotted her ride: a plain white car with license plates that were probably fake waiting for her on one of the sides streets in the rear of the building, a familiar face behind the wheel.

* * *

**8:22pm**

_**Corruption Discovered in Wong Enterprise. CEO Found Guilty.**_

_Earlier this week, during a police investigation of a shooting at a Wong Enterprise owned building, authorities made a shocking discovery. The police have yet to determine the true reason behind the violence. Luo Ming, an executive for the corporation, was shot at close range and pronounced dead at the scene. Two security staff were also injured, both non-fatally. Startling evidence found at the scene revealed an enormous catalog of black market information the company had been doing deals with for the past years._

_The city launched a second investigation into this revealed information, which when approached, CEO Lei Wong denied entirely. Further investigation led to a trial on Tuesday. The evidence recovered from the scene was a small electronic device which authorities was being transferred between Wong Enterprise and whoever the shooter was._

_During the trial, Wong demanded that the Umbrella Corporation was present during the shooting. When approached with this accusation, Umbrella denied its involvement in any way. A statement from Ozwell Spencer himself stated that "Umbrella would not do business with Wong Enterprise, a company that performs illegal business practices behind the public's back." Umbrella has already begun the process of taking over the company to avoid the loss of jobs and wages to its employees, pledging to end the corruption that has apparently plagued the business for so long._

_On Wednesday, Wong and several key staff members were sentenced to 40 years in prison for malpractice of business, and a host of other charges. Wong gave no comment after the trial._

Ada folded the newspaper and tossed it on the chair which held her blazer, the smallest smile on her lips. Revenge was such a funny thing. Almost every month after that day years ago, she dreamed about it. Sometimes she wanted her father to simply die, other times she wanted to kill him herself, murder him in cold blood. But the point of revenge was not to take more than what had been taken from you. Instead, she would take exactly what had been taken from her.

Her father had pushed her aside into the cold and denied her a life. Now, he would know what it felt like. Knocked from the life he knew into unfamiliarity and danger, while the rest of the world moved on. The realization of this felt cold, yet good, like ice on a hot day. It wasn't like she was falsely accusing him. All of the evidence was real, stretching back to before her birth. Her father was a crook, plain and simple.

Ada had learned quite a few things over the years, but as far as the work she did, she was still fairly inexperienced. Even with the life and abilities she had for herself now, she couldn't dig up that kind of incriminating evidence. She needed someone who walked along those same paths, someone who had access to all parts of the city, all the underground networks.

"What do you think, Feng?" she asked. Her old friend returned from the kitchen, a glass of wine in one hand, a glass of whiskey in the other. Wine was something she'd gotten a taste for in the last few months, but it seemed Feng still had his old habits.

"Think about what?" he asked as he handed her the tall stemmed glass.

"Revenge," she elaborated before taking a sip. The drink was sweet to the taste and warmed her throat pleasantly. "Just what does this make me now? Some kind of damned soul?"

Feng shrugged. "I don't see how it changes you. Revenge can be a dangerous thing in the hands of passionate people. You're different; you've got your head on straight. You don't care about how you affect the world. You care about how you affect yourself. Revenge won't be something to bring you down in the end."

Ada nodded softly at his words. Revenge certainly was a dangerous thing. A person fueled with the passion of revenge could destroy so much. But not her. This was merely the gentle click of a door closing, the snip of scissors cutting away a thread. It was the last part of her old life. Was Wong a sullied name to go down in history as a corrupt bastard? No. Wong was someone who had her entire life before her, free to do as she wished.

"You're right, as usual," she said, then took another drink. That was that.

"You sure you'll be able to get out of the country okay?" Feng asked her.

Ada nodded with a smirk. "Private flight, no questions asked. Besides, the cops don't have anything, and Umbrella is actually helping us out. I made it look like DeVita was robbed. So what if she didn't make it to the deal? They've got the whole company. They'll call her back while they swoop in and eat it up. Any claims against them from Wong Enterprise will be unfounded." She turned to him, smirk gone, instead replaced by a smile of friendship. "Thank you for all your help. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Don't mention it," Feng replied coolly. "25 percent, right?"

Ada laughed. "You know I wouldn't offer you any less."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**May 4th, 1996**

**Los Angelas, California, USA**

**7:13pm**

It was one of the things Ada looked forward to the most. That time of the week where the rest of the world just seemed to go away for an hour. Every bit of stress, every problem, and every concern was just put on hold. All that there was to be aware of was her mind, body, and Richard's very talented hands. Of all the places she'd been, he was certainly the best. There had to be no better massage a woman could buy.

She lay face down on a soft white mattress in the privacy of her hotel room with only a small hand towel over her hips to make her decent. Richard was currently about halfway done with her back, gently kneading her skin and muscles. Eventually, he would move to her limbs with his amazing touch. Soft jazz played from the stereo, creating a perfect environment for her to disappear into.

But enjoy it as she might, the rest of the world sometimes had a rude habit of trying to butt in. Her cellular phone chimed annoyingly on the tray next to her, beside her cup of herbal tea. Ada sighed softly, then lifted her head so she could move one of her arms and retrieve it. She flipped the mouthpiece down with a flick of her wrist and connected the line. There was only one person it could be. After all, he was the only one with the number.

"Yes?" she answered with a sigh.

"_Business calls, Ada_"

It was her current employer, a man who simply preferred to be called Drake. She never thought she'd be working for a lawyer, but they came in all shapes and sizes, apparently, and one of those needed her to solve some pressing issues. He was as crooked as they come, but he paid well, and his work was usually easy. She'd been using mostly charm the past weeks, mixed in with a few well placed bullets.

"Drake, darling, so nice as always," she drolled lazily into the phone, not even bothering to open her eyes. She was more focused on what the hands were doing with her spine. "You've caught me in the middle of my weekly rub-down, so why don't I just call you back when I'm more alert and not mostly naked?"

"_This is an important matter. I'd rather you take care of it as soon as possible._"

"Then why don't you talk, and I'll listen?" she suggested carefully, cracking one eye open to glance at Richard. She rather not have to shoot such talent for inadvertently hearing something sensitive, all the while doing it stark naked; her nearest weapon was stashed in her coat, all the way across the room. The music would be more than enough to cover the sound of Drake's voice from the phone, and as long as she didn't let something slip, there wouldn't be a problem.

"_Some incriminating case files were stolen. It was a list of names and evidence for an upcoming session. It just so happens that I might be mentioned in them._"

"Mmm...that's not good," Ada teased lazily.

"_I've already got a few rumors from the circuit. It might have been one of the guys involved in that kidnapping. You know, the city councilman's daughter?_"

"I heard it on the news, didn't really pay too much attention."

"_I don't know why they'd want a list of names, but I really don't care. Maybe they just think they can get more from the city. I just need those files back. Last I checked, they were in a regular briefcase, so look for that. I don't care how you handle this, Ada. The end justifies the means, and as long as both of us remain off the front page._"

"And your sales pitch?" she purred expectantly.

"_Usual price. Two thousand._"

"Make it three for cutting into my personal time, and you have a deal."

Drake paused on the other end, but then knew that it was worth it. "_Deal._"

"Meet me tonight for a drink at Elevate. I'll buy."

She killed the line and tossed the phone back on the tray, the sound of its impact the last real world noise to distract her until her little nirvana finished. She had Richard for the next forty-five minutes, and he hadn't even started with the oil yet. _That_ was the best part.

* * *

**9:22pm**

_Sooo cliché_.

Why was it that when a bunch of men kidnapped a girl, they took her to a run down place? Why not a nice apartment, or a even a house? Class seemed to be something that was fading fast with the times. Men didn't know how to treat women, always calling them and asking for underpaid favors and abducting little girls.

Still feeling the wondrous effects of her massage even two hours later, Ada climbed the steps to the third floor of a trashed apartment complex. It wasn't the first one she had been in, and certainly wouldn't be the last.

The dingy, decrepit place seemed unholy compared to her as she graced the hall with her presence. The hem of her short, crimson Valentino fluttered in a draft, the cloth suspended by two wire thin straps over her shoulders. She was a splash of red fire in an otherwise gray, dying world.

The apartment was at the end of the hall. It hadn't taken long to track the wannabe criminals. In the time that it took to find them, she had found out that they were indeed the same three culprits behind the abduction of Emily Young, the 9 year old daughter of one of California's officials. Ada didn't pay to much heed to why they did it; probably money.

She rapped delicately on the door to the apartment, then leaned on the frame in a sultry curve, smiling slyly. There were footsteps on the other side, a pause, then a set of locks released, and the door swung open, revealing a bewildered, yet interested unshaven man.

Ada winked. "Hey..." She moved her hand from behind her back, pulling the trigger of her gun twice. The silenced H&K USP popped quietly and he fell inward with a crash, two neat red holes in his chest. _One. _Ada casually stepped over his motionless body, already zeroing in effortlessly on the next man sitting on a couch, pulling the trigger twice more and sending lethal hollow points into his torso. _Two._ The third man, perhaps alarmed by the noises, burst from a side room with a gun in his hand, finding the bead of her laser sight on his chest. Ada sent him to the ground with a single shot, and upon seeing him writhing on the floor, strode over and finished him with a second.

_And three..._

With a flick of her her toe, she kicked a spinning brass shell out of her path and made her way to the filthy kitchen, keeping her gun ready on the off chance her information was wrong about there only being three men. In plain sight was a leather briefcase, sitting on the tiny, beaten table. A quick look of its contents confirmed it to be what she sought: three manila folders, filled with the legal jargon that she despised. Without a further thought, she plucked it off the table, already deciding on her drink later that night. A martini might hit the spot...

On her way out, Ada saw her. It was the way the apartment was set up; otherwise, Ada would never have guessed she was there. The kitchen doorway looked directly into the living room. Little Emily Young, restrained to a chair in the center of the room with an ample amount of tape and blindfolded with a rag. As easy as it was to take pity on the girl and save the city a whole lot of trouble, maybe earn a little cash in the process, Ada kept walking. She had enough problems, and unlike her real life problems, this wasn't one she had to deal with-

-she stopped cold suddenly. Her father's words echoed in her head, only with her own voice this time...so light and uncaring...She suddenly saw herself, huddled on the floor before him in his office. It was four years ago that it happened. Only four...and she was already turning into him. It was the same situation: an adult, faced with the choice of helping a young girl they didn't know. No...it wasn't going to be the same. That was how things _were..._She was different. She was going to prove it right there.

Ada set the briefcase down and gun down, then turned and stepped over one of the kidnapper's bodies. She tried to walk softly, but her heels protested loudly on the wooden floor. The little girl was already aware of her presence in the room and whimpered fearfully, already scared by the noises of bodies hitting the floor. Ada squatted down before her, the rustling of her dress barely audible over the girl's sounds and watched her, almost fascinated. She was the same alright; helpless and blind, just as Ada herself had been helpless in her life and blind to her potential. The only noticeable feature Ada could make without clearly seeing her face was her cute blond hair, which was even styled the way it had been back then. Now, Ada kept it short, with plenty of shampoo and conditioner each day.

Without even thinking, Ada reached forward, gently caressing the girl's damp, tear streaked cheek with the back of her hand. Emily let out a squeak and jerked away. Ada jumped at the noise, embarrassed at the lack of thought in her actions. Who wouldn't be scared if someone suddenly did that? She quickly worked to correct her mistake.

"Hey...shhhh..." she soothed, then stroked the girl's face again. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

"What's going on?" Emily quivered back. "Who are you?"

"I'm a...friend," Ada said awkwardly, glad that the girl couldn't see the hesitation on her face.

"Did you come to save me?" she asked, almost hopefully. It was cute and sad at the same time the way she asked the question and the answer Ada had to give her.

"I'm sorry, but not really," Ada admitted. "I came for something else, and well, I guess it just kind of happened. Did those men hurt you?"

Emily shook her head, "No."

For some reason, she breathed a sigh of relief. Why did she care so damn much? "That's good, that's good."

"Can you let me go?" the girl ventured hopefully again, as if she was nervous to ask. "I want to go home."

Ada hesitated. That was something she couldn't do. The girl was a security risk, even more so if she got back to the police. Even if she was just a girl, she could probably identify her, and off the top of her head, Ada could think of a dozen people who thought she didn't exist. Plus, the last thing she needed was for any law enforcement to learn of an Asian freelancer working under the radar. But how the hell was she supposed to say that to a child?

"Umm...I...can't really do that," Ada said slowly. Suddenly, she wanted to leave, as if being there was bringing out something in her that she didn't want. "I have to go, honey, I really shouldn't be here."

"No, wait!" the little girl begged, twisting in her chair. "Don't leave me! I don't want to stay here anymore!"

"Okay, okay," Ada said quickly, placing her hand on the child's knee, trying to comfort her. "I'll stay a little longer."

But how much longer? Her mission was done, so why was she sticking around? Her paycheck was waiting for her, not to mention her bed and shower. Not to mention the longer she sat there, the more she felt like letting the girl go. She didn't want to be sitting in this rundown apartment much longer.

"Can I see what you look like?" Emily asked suddenly.

Ada smiled sadly to herself. "I'm sorry sweetie, but I can't let you."

The girl sniffed. "Why not?"

"Because..." Because she didn't want to get IDed by a kid? So she wouldn't have to blackmail her into silence, or worse? "Because I don't want you to be bothered by the police. When they get here, they'll want to know who stopped these men, and they'll ask you first. But if you tell them that you were blindfolded the whole time, they won't bother you, because you won't know. It'll save you a lot of trouble."

"But what should I say then?"

"Just tell them that...it was a butterfly. Yeah, a butterfly swooped in and made everything better. You know that they bring happiness?"

"They do?"

"Mm-hm. It's an old legend. And you're going to be out of here soon, back with your parents. That's something to be happy about, isn't it? Hmm?" Ada tickled the girl's chin with a groomed nail, smiling playfully. Anything to try and cheer the girl up.

It worked. Emily giggled and squirmed, grinning in a flash of white teeth. "Yeah, it is."

"That's right. I'm really sorry, sweetie, but I have to go now. But tell you what: how 'bout I call the police on the way out? They'll be here right away."

"Okay," she said, sounding crestfallen, then added. "Thank you."

"Not a problem," Ada said with a smile, then as she stood up, leaned forward and pecked her on the forehead with her pink glossy lips. "Stay strong," she whispered, then left the room.

The phone was in the main room from where she entered. She dialed the police. "Something's happened here," she said, false worry in her voice. She gave them the address and the apartment number. "I think someone might have been killed. I heard gunshots and, and..." she trailed off, and let the hand piece dangle from the wall, the dispatcher's voice still audible on.

"_Ma'am? Is everything okay? Ma'am?_"

Ada scooped up her weapon and the case. That would have to be enough. The cops would get there, see the corpses, and find Emily. All she would be able to tell them was that it was a woman, claiming to be a butterfly. She made things all better and called the police for her. No face, no name, and nowhere near enough evidence on the scene. Emily got her freedom, and Ada got her money.

Everyone wins.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**May 13th, 1997**

**Location unknown, somewhere in America**

**7:27pm**

A long limousine, black as the night it drove through, pulled up in front of the restaurant. The valet opened the rear door and was greeted by a long, flawless leg as Ada Wong stepped out onto the driveway in ebony Pollini heels. In contrast to the black glossy vehicle, she almost glowed a dull cherry red in her long red evening dress, her features sparkling with a diamond bracelet and diamond studded earrings. From a thin gold chain, a small gold butterfly swung from the bracelet.

Her ride pulled away, smoothly disappearing into the night. She had two full hours to conduct her business. It would be more than enough time for dinner and specifics. Ignoring the valet, who was too busy admiring her presence, she drew her red shawl around her bare arms and lower back, then stepped into the building through its glass doors. The maitre d greeted her from his podium upon her arrival.

"Good evening, ma'am. Do you have a reservation this evening?"

The restaurant was just as she liked them: expensive. Gourmet food and wine, live entertainment, and top notch service. Just as what had been asked of her, reservations usually needed to be made at least several weeks in advance. But not tonight.

"No," she said, uninterested in him as she admired the surroundings, barely halting her strut. "I'm meeting someone here."

She breezed by the foyer and into the general seating. Her destination was the back of the restaurant, in the VIP rooms. Those were the safest, most private rooms in the building; the perfect place to have sensitive talks without listening ears. But just in case, she memorized the floor plan, all the exits, and brought a little insurance with her in the form of a Walther in her handbag. They had approached her first, and she'd never heard of them. That made her all the more cautious of an ambush. She had been careful over the years, but there was always that chance that someone wanted a little bit of revenge.

The general seating ended with a stage housing a small live orchestra that provided that evening's entertainment. Everyone was exquisitely dressed, though none so exquisite as the half-Asian, half-European woman in the red halter top dress and expensive jewelry. Ada felt more than a few pairs of eyes follow her across the room, and that alone made her smile confidently to herself.

She entered the VIP section and began to scout for them. It soon proved to be easier than she anticipated. All of the rooms were empty, save for the one farthest away. The restaurant was far too popular to not always be full, so they must have booked the rest of the rooms, just so everything would be even more private. It appeared that they were just as cautious as she was, and she liked it. That meant they knew how to do things. The door at the end was ajar, but Ada didn't hesitate by knocking. Instead, she just strode in.

There they sat, five of them around the rectangular table. All of them were in various shades of drab: blacks, whites, and grays, but at least in appropriate dress. The colors matched just of what she knew, in fact, what anybody knew of them. These five represented a company called Health Corporate Financial, an upcoming business in the field of pharmaceutics and technology, among other things. Most just called it by the acronym HCF. But a little digging in the right places brought up some interesting rumors. Apparently, there was some kind of shadow organization that ran the company. Nothing could be confirmed about it....at least until right now at this secret meeting.

Ada smiled broadly, placing one hand on her hip. "Good evening, gentleman," she greeted with an air of smooth politeness in her voice. Only one or two of them showed particular interest in her, while the others still observed her cautiously. None of them made an effort to help her to her seat like a true gentleman, or even offer to hang up her shawl.

_Ah, men these days._

"Thank you for agreeing to meet us, Miss Wong," the one on the end of the table said, a generic brown haired man in a black sport coat. He gestured to the only remaining seat at the foot of the table. "Please, have a seat."

With an effortless motion, Ada stripped off her shawl and hung it on a coat rack next to the door, then glided to her seat and sat down. The pleasantries began, starting with introductions. Most of them were terribly bland, all generic names that were possibly even aliases. She didn't bother memorizing that useless information; she went with recognizing their faces and features instead.

No one stuck a gun in her back. No SWAT team crashed through the window. So far, it seemed to be going just fine. Still, Ada didn't drop her guard just yet. She hadn't even been there for five minutes. There was no guard at the door, but that was probably just to help keep a low profile. Which meant that at least some of them had to be carrying weapons, just like her. The only threats to her health were the ones sitting at the table...proably.

"A pleasure to meet you all," she purred lightly as the introductions finished, "And thank you for inviting me." The door opened again, and a waiter entered, ready for the drink orders. Since she was the only female at the table, she was first. "Your finest red wine, please," she told the waiter, then smiled to the rest of the table. The rest of them ordered water. Oh well. They were paying.

"So, Miss Wong," said one of the men casually, this one in a simple white dress shirt, and his hair was well into gray. His accent placed him somewhere from eastern Europe. "Our sources say that you are quite the mercenary."

Ada chuckled and ran her fingers through her bangs, placing them over her right eye. "Mercenary? Don't you think that's a little extreme?" she asked. "I like to think of myself as a person of business, just like the rest of you. My job just happens to be a little more...physical."

"And you'll take any assignment?" he inquired.

"Yes, as a matter a fact," she replied truthfully. "I do what is required, granted the terms are appealing and the pay is substantial. I'm not about to jump headfirst into suicide. But otherwise, I'm sure my talents will be more than beneficial."

With her wine being the only alcohol at the table, the drinks arrived quickly, halting the conversation awkwardly until the waiter had dispersed once again, leaving them to select their entrees. Her wine was in a tall stemmed glass, three quarters full of the blood red liquid. She took a small drink; definitely the finest bottle.

"Before we continue," said the oldest of the group, a man with silvery gray hair, "We must know if you can be trusted with the information we are about to reveal to you."

Ada waved her hand dismissively. "I don't make it a habit of mixing business with my personal affairs. Whatever little secrets you have will be safe with me."

"You mean like the incident with Wong Enterprise?" asked he European man mildly. "We have evidence of a young woman at that scene, possibly part Chinese. And didn't the CEO have a daughter...?"

The cautious surprise that hid in Ada's eyes lasted a nanosecond, gone with the beat of curled eyelashes. So they knew a little bit about her...That sort of intel would end her if it went public, but if they didn't come right out and say it and extort her, then they probably didn't know it was her for sure. Otherwise, why build it up like this? The European guy most likely was just a jerk trying to egg her on into doing something stupid. But she hated to admit that he was right. That little affair with her father _was_ made personal, but she vowed it was the last time.

"I've traveled around, and I've been to China several times," Ada replied. "I think I was even in the country when that happened. But I find it a little insulting that you would think that I operated like that. Besides, don't you think that if I was untrustworthy, would you all really go through this trouble to contact me?" She sent a small glare of irritation at him, which he happily returned.

"If we could cut the petty accusations," the gray haired cut in, annoyed, "Miss Wong has gladly extended her services. I suggest we utilize them." He paused, but there was no objection, even from the European man. He nodded to a compatriot.

"Our main area of interest is currently the Umbrella Corporation," said one of the brown haired men, folding his hands before him. "Know anything about them?"

Ada shrugged. "They're the largest company on the market. You can find their products in just about any household across the globe. But...I've heard a few rumors as well."

"Such as?" inquired another brown head.

"That the company secretly develops biological weapons, among other things."

The collective group nodded, accepting her words. Ada sensed that she had just passed some kind of test. At least that's what it felt like when the next one spoke to her.

"What you hear is correct Miss Wong. Umbrella indeed specializes in viral warfare and biological weapons. They treat it like any other business. It just so happens that our organization is interested in their secrets."

"And I assume that's where I come in?" Ada questioned.

The east Europe guy nodded. "Yes. We need an agent to infiltrate their operations in Raccoon City. There are supposedly two labs within or near the city."

"In these labs, they created something called the Tyrant Virus," said the first brown haired man.

"The Tyrant Virus?" she asked. Strange name for a virus.

"Yes," he replied. "We know very little about it, other than the fact that it is highly lethal with the capacity for spontaneous mutation. Umbrella is using it to create specialized bio-organic weapons, or B.O.W's for short."

"So what do you think Miss Wong?" Brown hair. "We employ you, and you go to Raccoon City and retrieve the T-Virus and any research data for us."

Ada took a thoughtful sip from her glass. Infiltrating the secret part of the largest company on earth, where they played God with what sounded like horrific virus. A sensible person would have walked out a long time ago. Ada considered herself sensible, but living sensible was a very boring life. The mission sounded like a standard infiltration, only on a larger scale.

"What's your offer?" she asked.

"Six to seven figures, depending on the results yielded. Plus, you'll have our...personal backup should something arise. We take care of our investments, as you'll find out."

More money than she had ever worked for, plus benefits. She smiled. This was a no-brainer.

"Deal," she said, then picked up her menu. "Now, what looks good?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**July 7th, 1997**

**Raccoon City**

**9:44pm**

Rock music sounded from the corner speakers in J's Bar. It played at a sensible volume, not overpowering conversation and breaking ear drums. It was a typical Friday night, and the entire bar was lively with human activity. Two bartenders served up drinks, and a pretty blond waitress with a brilliant smile distributed several to the customers. The small kitchen in the back worked tirelessly, cooking whatever late night dishes people wanted.

Ada carefully watched him from her booth. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary about him, just a man enjoying a late drink at the bar. He wasn't much different from other targets over the years; after a while, they all kind of started to look the same. This one was one of the kinds she couldn't kill though.

His name was John Howe, and he was the head researcher at the hidden Arklay lab in Raccoon City. The organization was kind enough to supply a few files on him. Top of his classes in college, with a degree in virology. He was 6'1'', dark brown hair with brown eyes, average build, and wasn't all that bad looking. Most importantly he was single. He was her way into Umbrella.

Seducing a man was tricky business, but as long as she stayed smart about it, she was confident in the results. John was a guy who worked late nights, often secluded with nothing else but paperwork and numbers. He rarely came into the city, and when he did, it was usually business related. Ada was counting on the fact that he was probably very lonely. This wouldn't be one of those cases where all she needed was entry; she needed to stick with it. So that eliminated the use of chemical substances. It was going to be all her to win him over.

_Piece of cake._

Already having downed one drink, she nursed a second, keeping up the appearance of an equally lonesome woman. If she was to coax anything out of John eventually, she would first need to have a plausible background. So Ada Wong, the now secret operative of HCF, was Ada Wong the ex-girlfriend of a biochemist. She moved to Raccoon City from She was still getting over the break-up.

The spot next to him opened up and Ada moved in, taking her drink with her to the bar. She returned the blond waitress's smile as she passed her on the way. The name tag on her gray vest read Cindy.

_Cute girl._

"Hey there," she said as she slid onto the stool next to John, a hint of shyness in her voice glazed with the confidence of alcohol.

He jerked his head at her presence, and Ada already saw that flicker of interest she'd grown used to over the years. Feeding that look was one of her particularly short red numbers. What man could resist high skirts and low tops?

"Hi," he replied casually. "What's up?"

"Not much," Ada said, tracing her finger around the wide rim of her martini glass as she leaned on the bar. "Mind if I join you?"

John shrugged. "Sure."

Just like that, she was already inside his personal space. The rest was just autopilot. It was a fascinating thing, the human mating process. Ada would have loved to read a book about it.

"Come here often?" Ada asked, keeping her tone casual, yet with a hint of something more important on her mind. Namely, the 'break up'.

"J's?" John asked. "Not as much as I could or would like to. Work keeps me pretty busy. I'm just here finishing up the holiday, then it's back to the grind."

"And what do you do?" Ada pressed.

"I'm with Umbrella," John replied. He wasn't lying and Umbrella had plenty of perfectly legal positions. "I work in the plant outside of town."

"Oh, so you're with pharmaceutics then?" Ada asked, acting more interested.

John nodded. "Yeah. R&D out of Chicago."

"Interesting." She offered her hand. "I'm Ada."

"Ada. I'm John." He took her hand and shook it.

"My pleasure." Ada crossed her legs, then sipped her drink. Outwardly, she was relaxing, letting her guard down. Anything to get him to open up more. "What's Umbrella working on to make our lives better this time?"

"Oh, a little bit of everything," he replied offhand, drinking from his own glass. Ada noted that it was some kind of mixed drink. "Some new treatments and experimental drugs. The corporation really doesn't like us talking about it. They claim it's 'bad for marketing'."

His description sounded authentic, but Ada had heard enough rehearsed speeches to know it was a cover. Still, she had to give him credit. He wasn't shifty or outwardly paranoid, features that tended to go with the researchers in the deep end. He just sounded like the typical overworked American.

"I guess it is," Ada admitted. "Kind of spoils the surprise if someone let the cure for cancer slip. You said Chicago? What are you doing in Raccoon?"

"A new position opened up in the plant here. They transferred half of the research staff. Umbrella helped found this town, so they decide to keep most of their main projects here." He took a drink from his glass. "You seem pretty interested in this kind of stuff."

Ada shrugged. "It just fascinates me. I wish I had the brains to get into Umbrella, but I never had the grades for it. My boyfriend was a biochemistry major back in college, and he and me would stay up all night looking at the stuff. Well, at least we used to..."

She cast her eyes down, then brushed a strand of hair off of her forehead, miming the fact that she brought up a bad memory in the middle of a happy conversation.

"Did something happen?" John asked, sounding almost cautious, yet too curious not to ask.

Ada managed a false smile. "We...broke up not too long ago. It was, complicated, to say the least. I wanted something more, but...he didn't." She broke eye contact and stared at her drink. The hook was dangled, now all he had to do was bite. Too much drama, and she would scare him away. "Sorry, I shouldn't be talking about this with you..."

"Hey, it's okay," John said. To her surprise, he patted her comfortingly on the wrist. "Those can be tough."

She smiled shyly at him. "Thanks sweetheart. Sorry, I didn't mean to start any drama suddenly."

"Don't mention it. So what do you do?"

Ada shrugged sheepishly. "I'm kind of in between jobs right now. I moved to Raccoon hoping I could find something to keep me on my feet. The last few small jobs I had really didn't interest me at all, but it's hard to find stuff when you only have half an education. To be honest, I kind of freeloaded off my boyfriend when we were still together. I didn't have all that much..."

She kept the conversation going for the next hour, finishing her second drink in the process. She ordered a third, but barely touched it. All of the edges in her head were already soft, and there was no way she was going to get drunk. Too much rode on her adaptability.

She got John to spill more than she thought he would; his earlier life, his education, his beginnings in Umbrella (all legitimate, of course), how he liked Chicago, damn near everything that filled the gaps in his files. During that time, Ada had shifted subtly closer, one of her thighs brushing against his. He didn't protest or say anything about the casual brushing, which probably meant that he had swallowed the hook entirely. Her posture was less than a foot away from his.

"So I'm assuming that since you're here, there's _not _someone waiting for you back home?" she asked, no hint in the question.

John shook his head. "No, 'fraid not. Umbrella can be pretty...demanding, so it's tough to settle."

"You don't get lonely?" Ada asked, cocking her head thoughtfully.

John gave her another shrug. "I like to think not, but work _does_ keep me pretty busy, so it's hard to notice..."

The brief silence Ada gave him was enough to show him that _she_ was lonely, hell, maybe even scared of a dark room at night. All this woman was searching for was company, and maybe a little something more long term.

"You...want to continue this conversation back at your place?" she asked. "Just you and me?"

John smiled. "Sure."

* * *

**1:55am**

It was dark, but the streetlights and moon shone in a sliver through the window across Ada's eyes. She lay nestled in the sheets of John's bed, his arm gently tucked around her nude waist, his slow breaths on the back of her neck. He was close, his body's contours matching her own, not that sprawled, exhausted slumber after a one night stand. It was deeper than that for him.

She was physically drained, but something about sleeping in hostile territory didn't sit well with her. That, and her mind was buzzing, carefully formulating the next steps of her assignment. So for the moment, she was wide awake, pretending to be asleep. John nodded off some time ago, and appeared to be a heavy sleeper.

The sex had been good, and they had exchanged a few deeper words. He hadn't drank much at the bar, so she new it wasn't just rambling. John was interested. _Very_ interested. It seemed she had pegged him right about being lonely and desperate. Getting into bed with him was the tough part. The rest was now simply a matter of staying close and acting interested. Eventually, she would tap his phone and computer, and with a little luck, she could get into the lab with his help.

Ada wished she could sneak out and get back to her rented apartment, maybe leave him a sexy note to assure him that what they had was real, but that wasn't how it worked. She needed to spend the night with him, which probably meant that she wasn't going to get much sleep. Contrary to what she told him, Ada just preferred to be alone, and having someone's arm around her, his body close, was an obvious violation of that.

This was an area where Ada had to tread carefully. She wasn't past using her body to accomplish her objective, but this was the equivalent of stepping through a minefield. If she wasn't careful, she might end up doing herself more harm than good. There had been times where it was close, dangerously close, but attachment was something she could _not _afford. Emotions meant mistakes, and the resulting wounds were always deep.

So she hardened herself. Little by little, it was getting easier and easier, but there was always that uncomfortable little gnawing in her gut that felt just like guilt. Everything else was lost during the passion of love, but it was always waiting for her afterwards. It usually didn't stay long, gone after the morning.

Ada moved her head softly to the side, peering at John's sleeping face. A butterfly flapping its wings could cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. So what was going to result at her involvement with his life? No matter what path they took, it was inevitably going to end in heartbreak for him when she left him.

The gnawing chewed a little harder after that thought. Was she playing to much into his vulnerability, in essence exposing her own?

_It's part of the job. There's not a whole lot I can do about it. I'll feel bad for a while, so I'll get over it. Just like Mom, just like Dad._

It wasn't like she was assigned to kill him, so why torture herself? If it got worse, she was confident she could let him down easy in the end. Maybe make up some story about going back to school or something, make it seem like her fault...that might be best. She shifted her head on the pillow, moving her eyes out of the light from outside. It was hard enough to focus on sleeping with a glaze of light bothering her.

Getting a physical sample of the T-Virus was going to be hard. The organization knew of two labs; one was beneath Raccoon itself, the other tucked under the old Spencer estate in the Arklay Forest. But knowing where something was and actually getting there were two different things. That's why she needed John. He had access, and that would make getting in a whole lot easier.

John shifted in his sleep, causing Ada to tense. His arm left her waist, then cinched higher and snugger around her midsection. He nuzzled the back of her neck briefly, then was still. Just a shift in the night, Ada decided as she relaxed. She would have to fix some of her reactions.

A woman didn't tense up when her lover moved against her skin.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**June 11th, 1998**

**Raccoon City**

**8:05pm**

_June 8__th__, 1998_

_My dearest Ada,_

_By the time you read this letter, I will no longer be the person you once knew. The results of my test came out today, and as I suspected, it came out positive._

_I feel like I am teetering on the edge of reason just thinking about my impending doom. I would give anything not to have to become on of them_

_As far as I know, you are not infected. I sincerely hope things do not reach such a desperate pass, but if it has turned out that you are now the last person remaining alive, I want you to get the material from the Visual Data Room._

_Then, activate the self-destruct system in the Power Room, and escape from here. Please do everything in your power to make this whole accident public. If everything is still running normally, you should be able to release all of the locks using the security system._

_I have set up the terminal in the small security room so that you can log in to the system using my name and your name as the password._

_You will need another password to release the lock of the door in Basement Level Two where the Visual Data Room is located._

_As a safety measure I have coded that password into an X-ray picture; a roentgenogram. I know you, and I'm sure you will be able to work it out without any trouble._

_There is just one more thing...and it is my last request. I hope you never have to lay eyes on me in this state, but if you do happen to run into me in my hideous form, I beg you to put me out of my misery. I hope you understand._

_Thank you, Ada._

_Yours truly,_

_John_

_

* * *

_

_Oh John..._

Ada Wong stared thoughtfully at the corpse that was once John Howe. His skin was rotted away in great chunks, revealing the glistening, diseased muscle beneath. His melting flesh stained his normally crisp collared shirt in various shades of red, gray, and green. The back of his skull was blown out, an exit wound to the shot that entered his forehead. Ada held the gun that fired the bullet in one hand, the last wisps of smoke escaping the muzzle, the letter in her other.

She and Jon had been trapped in the mansion, along with the rest of the staff, for almost a month. The T-Virus had somehow gotten released and infected a portion of the staff. The two of them had been surviving off of supplies they scavenged before the outbreak got even worse, spreading from person to person.

He hadn't come back when he last left to check on the situation...now it was obvious why. It had been almost a week ago, and it wasn't unlike John to disappear for several days in attempt to remedy the situation.

Somehow, he had gotten infected, and he wanted to get away from her so she would stay safe. But now, even his love for her was corrupted by the virus. He had lunged at her, moaning in a similar key as during their lovemaking, only this time, it wasn't her love he wanted, but her flesh. She shot without a second's hesitation, dropping him for good.

Ada continued to stare. The body had stopped twitching about a minute ago and was now motionless. Why wasn't she feeling anything? Then again, why did she care? She didn't kill him, the virus did; she only ended his suffering, mercifully. Quick, cool, efficient, an angel of mercy.

But what about that year of closeness, the words exchanged, the sex? What would her life had been like had their paths not crossed like this? John wasn't bad looking, held a good paying job, and was pretty decent as a person for the type of work he did.

_I would have been happy...he would have been happy...Christ, what the hell?_

Over and over, Ada told herself that she did him a favor by putting him out of his misery. But each time she did, it didn't stop that chewing in her stomach that was slowly nibbling towards her heart. Even a bullet through her ex-lover's head wouldn't quell that.

_Get over it, he was dead for a week before you pulled the trigger, and there was nothing you could do about it. If you have anyone to hate, it's Umbrella. Now get going._

It was clear what she had to do. John even layed it out for her, nice and neat. She tossed the letter back onto the desk, took one last look at his remains, then brushed away whatever was inside of her. It was only going to slow her down. She held the grip of the Glock John had given her loosely in her hand, then pushed open the door to the room, keeping the weapon up and ready for whatever roamed the halls.

The carriers were slow, stupid, and predictable. Hard to believe, considering most of them had been Umbrella's top scientists. The virus did unspeakable things to the brain, in essence frying it until all that left was the most basic primal instincts, most predominantly hunger. They were easily put down with a single shot to the head. Ada was more concerned about the B.O.W's that were in containment, but so far, no critical locks had been released. They were all still safely in their cages. The clip in her gun and the spare in the back pocket of her jeans would be more than enough to handle some mindless zombies.

Navigating the mansion was relatively easy, even though the entire place was built like a maze, complete with death traps. But since the grounds were still in use, most of them were switched off or on standby until the mansion went into lockdown. When that happened, Ada pitied whoever stumbled into the building...The labs had a typical security system though, one that wouldn't chop your head off.

Within minutes, she was at the elevator to the underground labs, disguised in the fountain situated in the south of the mansion. The dank industrial setting was a shocking change as she entered from the elegant mansion above. The labs had maintenance staff, but still, the halls were just too gritty for her taste, and now they were quickly going to fall into ruin as the bodies decomposed more. Thick, warm air wafted into the elevator as Ada stepped out into the hallway, smelling of various shades of rotten as it stung her nostrils.

She was greeted by the shambling corpse of what appeared to be Martin Crackhorn, a co-worker that John introduced her to. Or maybe it wasn't, who could tell with the condition the carrier's face was in? She put a round into its temple, then walked past its twitching body without another thought.

It took a little searching, but she found the roentgenograms in the lab where John worked on the third level of the basement. The names marked on them belonged to two different people: Clark David, and Gail Holland, probably two poor souls who ended up as test subjects. The little puzzle John came up with wasn't hard. It was only a matter of placing the two x-rays on the viewing board with two others, Alex Bechet and Ed Fisher, so that their names were in alphabetical order, then turning on the light filter. The first letter of the corresponding marked organs formed a four letter word: cell

One more infected scientist crossed her path on the short walk to security and dropped with a bullet to the brain. The security room at least was thankfully empty of the shambling horrors. Ada found the terminal and set her gun next to the keyboard, then began to access the security system, not even taking the time to sit down. The entire place felt contaminated, and the less of it that touched her, the better.

First she entered "John" into the username entry, then "Ada" as the password and paused for a second. It was ironic that even after his death, their union seemed to exist. It sent a cold chill down her spine, as well as aroused the chewing in her gut. The computer chimed that it needed another password, and she entered "cell". The machine chirped pleasantly, then informed her that the second level doors had been unlocked.

Back up the stairs she jogged, moist air sticking on her skin. It was early summer, so her red tank top seemed like a good idea for fashion. The air was thick with humidity and reeked worse than anything she had every smelled. Ada realized it was the decaying corpses, mixed in with other smells from the labs. Funny, she had never been around a body long enough to smell it, always being there and gone before anyone realized it.

The door to the Visual Data Room clanked open noisily, free of its electronic locks. The room was empty, and Ada closed the door behind her, leaving her to begin harvesting data in peace. Slides, disks, and files were everywhere, some scattered wildly about, others stacked neatly. Ada rummaged around for a bit and unearthed a briefcase. She dumped its contents, useless paper and utensils, and left it on the table in the center of the room, then began to stuff as much as she could into it. Any labeled disk or cartridge was crammed into the case, spaces then filled in with documents and notes, anything that looked of value. When it could hold no more, Ada mashed it shut and latched it, then stuffed whatever she could into her pockets.

Laden with data, there was only one thing left to do: arm the triggering system. Ada sighed audibly. She wanted to honor John's last requests; she felt compelled to do so after everything he did for her. After all, she wasn't some cold hearted bitch. But this was Umbrella's problem; they had to deal with it. Besides, it was bad for business if Umbrella went under. There were plenty more secrets that needed to be unearthed.

Even though she wanted to exit the living mausoleum as fast as possible, Ada took the time to re-lock the laboratory's doors, place the x-rays back where she found them, and conceal the laboratory entrance again. That way, if by some astronomical chance someone found John's letter, it would seem like she never made it, or better, was never there.

She left the grounds with plenty of time to spare. In another hour or so, the locks would activate, hopefully sealing the undead and the nightmare behind her in the mansion.

As she pawed through the late night forest with the briefcase in tow, she pulled her cellular phone from her back pocket, then punched a number. The line connected and rang once.

"It's me," she said to the person on the other end. "I need a pick-up. The mission was a success, but we're going to be having a few problems."

* * *

**3:22am**

Ada pulled her car into the parking lot of the motel. It was a small, borderline decrepit building on the outskirts of the city, along the highway that east into the city, later becoming Raccoon Street as it merged closer to the center. A few lights glowed in the windows of one or two rooms, as well as the main check in lobby.

_I can't believe people would actually want to stay at a dump like this..._

She killed the engine and left the vehicle, briefcase tight in her hand, flicking her bangs with the other. The air was dry and tinged with dust, probably from the gravel parking lot and the lack of rain Raccoon had been suffering from. After a brief, casual scan of the surroundings, she opened the passenger door of the ordinary black sedan she pulled next to and entered the cool interior.

"You're late."

Ada smiled. "There's nothing wrong with being fashionably late, Wesker. And besides, I don't think we ever decided on a set time, so how can I be late?"

Albert Wesker's face remained neutral, hidden behind those perpetual sunglasses he wore even at night. Of all of her employers, he was the one that intrigued her the most. There wasn't a single blemish on him, from the top of his blond gelled hair, to his neatly tied shoes. Yet despite his preened outer appearance that usually went along with arrogant pen-pushers, there lurked a man of deadly intelligence. A man with a plan.

He was one of the organizations newest additions. Currently acting as captain of the Raccoon City Special Tactics and Rescue Squad, his day job was only a cover for his real occupation: a double agent for Umbrella to help maintain the company's secrecy. Ada didn't know what made him defect so easily, but whatever it was interested her greatly.

"I got all the data I could grab," she said, jiggling the stuffed case before setting it on the floor beside her feet. Naturally, she questioned what the point of her infiltration was if they had Wesker. It seemed stupid to steal information he had access to, then give it back to him. But obviously, such a valuable asset like him couldn't be risked to traffic information out of the company. He had the knowledge to reproduce the T-Virus on his own. "I assume they're pleased?"

Wesker nodded slowly. "Yes. You've done a good job. But the release of the T-Virus is going to complicate things greatly before this is over." His tone didn't shift from its usual cool with a slight undertone of what could have been British descent, but Ada could feel the gravity of the words.

"When do you think Umbrella will get the word?" she asked, glancing out into the night. In the interior of the car, the silence between them paused eerily between words.

"They already have the moment it happened. Knowing Umbrella, they're waiting for the virus to completely overtake both complexes before sending a clean up crew. Less witnesses, and a perfect chance to test real time data."

Ada opened her mouth to reply, then paused. "Wait, _both_ complexes?"

"Yes. At the same time as the mansion, the Training Facility was also exposed."

That came as a shock. The Training Facility, while in relative close proximity to the Spencer estate, was in no way physically connected to it. Ada could perhaps see a random carrier or a B.O.W making it there after some time, but Wesker stated that both infections occurred at the same time, the same date, around May 11th.

"...You think this was planned." Ada said. Not a question.

"Yes," Wesker said again. "A chance of an outbreak occurring, especially under Umbrella's precautions, is astronomical. The chance of two occurring at the same time in separate places _is_ impossible."

"So what now then? It wasn't the organization behind it, unless there's something they're not telling us. Or maybe another competitor?"

"It wasn't the organization," Wesker agreed. "They wouldn't destroy such sites of information. And neither would another organization of similar interests. Whoever it was has yet to reveal themselves. Our respective jobs just became far more difficult, Miss Wong, something that I greatly detest." He shot a glance at her from behind his glasses. "I trust the organization has your full support?"

Ada nodded. "Yes. I'm in this far. I would hate to miss how this plays out."

Satisfied, Wekser looked away from her once again. "Good. Remain in Raccoon City for the time being. We will contact you with further instructions."

"What about you?" she asked him. "What are you going to do?"

"At the moment, there's not much. My orders from Umbrella are to keep S.T.A.R.S and the rest of the police out of the incident. But I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stall them. A body was already found in the forest; a hiker, apparently half eaten. They will not simply let that go by unnoticed."

_Dammit, that means something got out. Maybe I _should_ have blown that place up...but there's no telling how many carriers, or B.O.W's for that matter, got out so it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway._

"It wouldn't be a bad idea, Miss Wong, to assume the worst," he finished, then turned the key in the ignition, cuing her to leave.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**September 29th, 1998**

**Raccoon City**

**10:34pm**

The police van was stuck fast. Ada managed to release the parking break, but with just herself, she barely had the strength to rock the vehicle an inch. A little frustrated, she gave up on trying to move it and wiped the few drops of sweat that had formed on her forehead, then fixed her rumpled red tunic dress. Maybe heels weren't such a good idea this time...but then again, nobody told her she would be moving a stalled car out of the way.

_Who the hell put this here anyway? What were they trying to block? But I suppose there's always the possibility that it wasn't intentional._

If she didn't pick up the pace, Bertolucci would be long gone before she found him, and that was assuming he was in that part of the building. The man was a typical reporter, a total coward, so he wasn't going to stay in one spot long, especially in the middle of the outbreak. If Ada didn't find him there, she would have to take the risk and assume that he would die with the rest of the city.

She didn't like to assume anything, and it seemed like she had been doing that a lot recently...

There was only one way into the cell block of the Raccoon Police Department, and that damn van was blocking her way. Bertolucci or not, that's where the sewer entrance was; the way to the marshalling yard that served as entrance to the underground Umbrella lab where the G-virus was kept. One way or another, she _was_ getting past it.

Rather than futilely continuing to shove at the van, Ada began to search around some of the other cars, checking for anything that might help her. If there were keys in one of the ignitions, she could just use the care to ram the van out of the way. How was that for subtlety? If that failed, she wasn't sure what she was going to do. The ventilation system might work, as she seemed to recall there being a shaft that connected from the third floor.

As she was rummaging, she heard the door to the garage bang open. Her instincts kicked in far too fast for her comfort, already have been tested once too much that night by T-Virus surprises. She spun and raised her gun, seeing only the blue of the RPD uniform on the other end of her sights, then fired. The "carrier" jerked and ducked as her shot whizzed close, missing by an inch.

"Hold your fire!" it yelled.

_Shit, a survivor?_

Ada pulled her gun up, chambering it at her shoulder, then got a good look at him; a living breathing human in an otherwise undead world. He stood about the same height as her, though she figured it was her heels, so that would put him an inch or two taller. His hair was a sandy brown, and his light blue eyes observed her cautiously, while her muddy hazels looked back confidently.

_Well hello there..._

The first thing Ada noticed was that he wasn't bad looking. She would go so far as to call him handsome if it wasn't for his blood splattered uniform and tired looking features. It looked like the outbreak was giving him a hard time. He had a head of short, ash blond hair and a pair of light, steel blue eyes.

"Sorry about that," she said with an apologetic smile as she lowered her gun, then walked over to him. Each tap of her cherry red high heels echoed in the soundless garage separately, confidently, gracefully. "I saw the uniform and thought you were one of those things."

He seemed to buy that. His posture relaxed, but was still tense, wary of the pristine, red clad beauty who nearly shot him. "Who are you?"

"Ada, Ada Wong. And who might you be?"

"Leon Kennedy," he replied. "I just transferred here. What are you doing here?"

_A cop, a rookie for that matter, fresh off the press. Not a damn clue what's going on, no experience...Perfect._

Just what she needed, a little extra dumb muscle. Ada was sure the two of them could move the van without a problem. He wasn't without his cons though; he wasn't going to just up and leave once the van was gone. He had found a survivor, so he was probably going to do what was grilled into his head: stay with her. That meant she couldn't be as 'frank' when she found Bertolucci. No matter, she could just dump him when she got the chance, then finish the reporter off if necessary.

She smiled sweetly to the rookie, Leon, expressing her inward confidence with outward affection, already going through the motions of wrapping him around her finger. This whole mission was going to be a snap...just like her past assignments. Not a single thing different.

But before that night was over, Ada discovered that her true metamorphosis had yet to begin.

**The End**

**Change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal.**

**-Arthur Schopenhaur**


End file.
